﻿A.Agassis 
  — 
  Explorations 
  of 
  the 
  "Albatross" 
  37 
  

  

  obtain 
  quite 
  near 
  the 
  surface 
  — 
  at 
  less 
  than 
  300 
  fathoms. 
  I 
  

   may 
  mention 
  here 
  that 
  the 
  experience 
  of 
  the 
  Valdivia 
  shows, 
  

   from 
  the 
  preliminary 
  reports 
  published 
  by 
  Professor 
  Chun, 
  

   that 
  no 
  pelagic 
  alga3 
  extend 
  to 
  beyond 
  about 
  150 
  fathoms. 
  

   Although 
  he 
  also 
  states 
  that 
  animal 
  life 
  is 
  found 
  at 
  all 
  

   depths 
  from 
  the 
  surface 
  to 
  the 
  bottom, 
  yet 
  he 
  states 
  that 
  

   beyond 
  800 
  meters 
  it 
  diminishes 
  very 
  rapidly 
  ; 
  Professor 
  Chun 
  

   does 
  not 
  state 
  whether 
  this 
  diminution 
  is 
  more 
  rapid 
  away 
  from 
  

   land 
  than 
  near 
  continental 
  areas, 
  both 
  of 
  which 
  conditions 
  I 
  

   had 
  called 
  especial 
  attention 
  to 
  in 
  my 
  Preliminary 
  Report 
  on 
  

   the 
  Albatross 
  expedition 
  of 
  1891, 
  while 
  using 
  the 
  Tanner 
  net 
  

   in 
  the 
  Gulf 
  of 
  California. 
  Mr. 
  George 
  Murray 
  has 
  criticized 
  

   the 
  action 
  of 
  the 
  Tanner 
  deep-sea 
  net, 
  and 
  condemns 
  its 
  results, 
  

   suggesting 
  that 
  the 
  bottom 
  net 
  had 
  always 
  closed 
  some 
  time 
  

   after 
  being 
  sent 
  down, 
  I 
  need 
  not 
  now 
  discuss 
  that 
  subject, 
  

   but 
  will 
  only 
  refer 
  him 
  to 
  the 
  report 
  of 
  the 
  Albatross, 
  in 
  

   which 
  he 
  will 
  iind 
  the 
  closed 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  net 
  to 
  have 
  on 
  several 
  

   occasions 
  brought 
  up 
  (when 
  I 
  expected 
  it 
  to 
  do 
  so) 
  specimens 
  

   from 
  over 
  600 
  fathoms 
  from 
  immediately 
  above 
  the 
  bottom, 
  or 
  

   samples 
  of 
  the 
  bottom 
  from 
  near 
  1700 
  fathoms 
  while 
  attempt- 
  

   ing 
  to 
  tow 
  immediately 
  above 
  that 
  depth. 
  I 
  ought, 
  in 
  justice 
  

   to 
  him, 
  to 
  state 
  that 
  I 
  omitted 
  to 
  mention 
  that 
  we 
  secured 
  the 
  

   loops 
  by 
  twine 
  to 
  the 
  detacher 
  to 
  insure 
  their 
  dropping 
  only 
  

   when 
  the 
  messenger 
  reached 
  the 
  detacher, 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  hooks 
  

   of 
  the 
  detacher 
  were 
  lengthened 
  very 
  considerably 
  above 
  the 
  

   dimensions 
  figured 
  in 
  my 
  Preliminary 
  Report 
  on 
  the 
  Albatross 
  

   expedition 
  of 
  1891. 
  I 
  might 
  add 
  that 
  we 
  made 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  

   trials 
  near 
  the 
  surface 
  to 
  see 
  the 
  action 
  of 
  the 
  Tanner 
  net 
  

   under 
  all 
  conditions 
  of 
  position 
  and 
  speed, 
  and 
  I 
  can 
  only 
  

   assume 
  that 
  Mr. 
  Murray, 
  having 
  no 
  experience, 
  did 
  not 
  handle 
  

   his 
  net 
  properly, 
  or 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  not 
  properly 
  balanced. 
  I 
  may 
  

   also 
  add 
  that 
  Captain 
  Tanner 
  used 
  his 
  modified 
  net 
  subse- 
  

   quently 
  in 
  the 
  Albatross, 
  while 
  running 
  a 
  line 
  of 
  soundings 
  

   from 
  San 
  Francisco 
  to 
  the 
  Hawaiian 
  Islands, 
  in 
  from 
  100 
  to 
  

   350 
  fathoms 
  from 
  the 
  surface, 
  at 
  considerable 
  distances 
  from 
  

   the 
  islands 
  and 
  the 
  mainland, 
  and 
  also 
  in 
  Alaskan 
  waters, 
  and 
  

   always 
  with 
  the 
  results 
  we 
  had 
  obtained 
  before. 
  The 
  closed 
  

   bag, 
  when 
  towing 
  at 
  100 
  fathoms 
  below 
  the 
  surface, 
  always 
  

   brought 
  up 
  a 
  mass 
  of 
  pelagic 
  animals 
  living 
  at 
  about 
  that 
  

   depth, 
  while 
  when 
  tried 
  at 
  300-350 
  fathoms 
  it 
  brought 
  up 
  

   little 
  or 
  nothing. 
  There 
  is 
  nothing 
  in 
  Captain 
  Tanner's 
  

   experience, 
  or 
  mine, 
  to 
  indicate 
  why 
  the 
  net 
  should 
  act 
  well 
  

   at 
  100 
  fathoms 
  and 
  not 
  well 
  at 
  300 
  fathoms 
  or 
  more, 
  as 
  sug- 
  

   gested 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Murray. 
  

  

  On 
  our 
  way 
  to 
  Tahiti 
  from 
  the 
  Marquesas 
  we 
  stopped 
  a 
  few 
  

   days 
  to 
  examine 
  the 
  westernmost 
  atolls 
  of 
  the 
  Paumotus. 
  

   Striking 
  Ahii 
  we 
  made 
  for 
  Rairoa, 
  the 
  largest 
  atoll 
  of 
  the 
  

  

  