374 Agassiz — Albatross Expedition to the Eastern Pacific. 



other deep-sea holothurians, fine specimens of Freyella, and 

 some large ophinrans. This haul is interesting as showing 

 that in the track of a great current, with abundance of food, 

 we may find at a very considerable depth (2422 fathoms) an 

 abundant fauna at very great distances from continental lands. 

 We were, at this station, about 2140 miles from Acapulco, 

 1200 miles from Manga Eeva, 1700 miles from the Galapagos, 

 and about 900 miles from the Marquesas. 



Another haul made under the equator near the northern 

 edge of the cold current in 2320 fathoms gave us the same 

 results. The pelagic fauna was very abundant, the surface 

 teemed with radiolarians, diatoms, and Globigerinse and 

 swarmed with invertebrates. The trawl contained a superb 

 collection of bottom species of holothurians, Brisinga, Hyalo- 

 nema, JSTeusina, and on this occasion we brought up the only 

 stalked crinoid collected during this expedition — parts of the 

 stem of two specimens of Rhizocrinus, of which, unfortunately, 

 the arms were wanting. 



Our progress, which was excellent during the first days of 

 our journey after leaving Manga Keva, has for the past six 

 days been greatly impeded by head winds in the region where 

 we ought to have been in the full swing of the southeasterly 

 trades. This led us to abandon with great reluctance all idea 

 of further work in the equatorial belt of currents ; to give up 

 our proposed visit to Clipperton, and on account of our limited 

 coal supply, to make for Acapulco, merely sounding every 

 morning. This was a great disappointment to me, as we had 

 every reason to expect to be able to spend some time in the 

 region of the equatorial current's belt and settle more conclu- 

 sively than we have been able to do the question of their 

 influence upon the richness of the fauna living in their track 

 far from continental shores or insular areas. 



The presence of diatoms in all parts of the Humboldt Cur- 

 rent, which we crossed from south of Callao to the equator at 

 the Galapagos and west towards Clipperton, shows how far the 

 track of a great oceanic current can be traced, not only by its 

 temperature but also by the pelagic life within or near it. 

 When once in the warm westerly equatorial current the dia- 

 toms disappear and the bottom samples show only surface 

 radiolarians and Globigerinse. 



We took a number of serial temperatures in the line Gala- 

 pagos to Manga Reva, passing from the colder water of the Hum- 

 boldt Current to the warmer waters south toward Manga Reva. 

 The temperatures at 200 fathoms became nearly identical. 

 North the great change in temperature took place between 25 

 and 200 fathoms, where there was a difference of 24°. South 

 the warm water extended 100 fathoms, a great change occurring 



