﻿116 
  Agassis 
  — 
  Explorations 
  of 
  the 
  " 
  Albatross" 
  

  

  lagoons, 
  and 
  described 
  as 
  closed 
  because 
  they 
  have 
  no 
  boat 
  

   passages. 
  I 
  could 
  mention 
  as 
  instances 
  of 
  such 
  lagoons, 
  those 
  

   of 
  the 
  atolls 
  of 
  Takume, 
  Hikuero, 
  Anaa, 
  etc., 
  which 
  may 
  be 
  

   said 
  to 
  be 
  closed, 
  yet 
  into 
  which 
  a 
  huge 
  volume 
  of 
  water 
  is 
  

   poured 
  at 
  every 
  tide 
  over 
  low 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  encircling 
  reef 
  flats. 
  

  

  The 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  coral 
  reefs 
  of 
  the 
  Paumotus 
  is 
  very 
  

   different 
  from 
  that 
  of 
  other 
  coral 
  reef 
  regions 
  I 
  have 
  seen. 
  

   Nowhere 
  have 
  I 
  seen 
  such 
  a 
  small 
  number 
  of 
  genera, 
  so 
  many 
  

   small 
  species, 
  and 
  such 
  stunted 
  development 
  of 
  the 
  corals. 
  

   None 
  of 
  the 
  great 
  heads 
  of 
  the 
  genera 
  so 
  characteristic 
  of 
  the 
  

   West 
  Indian 
  regions, 
  or 
  of 
  the 
  Great 
  Barrier 
  Reef 
  of 
  Aus- 
  

   tralia, 
  are 
  to 
  be 
  seen, 
  with 
  the 
  exception 
  of 
  a 
  couple 
  of 
  species 
  

   of 
  alcyonaria 
  they 
  are 
  absent, 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  our 
  experience 
  shows, 
  

   and 
  there 
  are 
  but 
  few 
  sponges 
  and 
  gorgonians 
  to 
  be 
  found 
  

   among 
  the 
  corals. 
  The 
  bathymetrical 
  limit 
  of 
  the 
  reef-building 
  

   coral 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  about 
  20 
  to 
  22 
  fathoms, 
  but 
  nowhere 
  have 
  I 
  

   seen 
  such 
  extraordinary 
  development 
  of 
  incrusting 
  nullipores 
  

   as 
  on 
  the 
  sea 
  edge 
  of 
  the 
  shore 
  platforms 
  of 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  Pau- 
  

   motus 
  atolls, 
  where 
  they 
  build 
  up 
  to 
  a 
  height 
  often 
  of 
  4 
  feet 
  

   to 
  form 
  the 
  outer 
  edge 
  of 
  the 
  secondary 
  barrier 
  reef 
  so 
  fre- 
  

   quently 
  seen 
  along 
  the 
  reef 
  faces 
  of 
  the 
  Paumotus. 
  

  

  Judging 
  from 
  the 
  temperatures 
  taken 
  at 
  various 
  points, 
  

   40° 
  F. 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  found 
  quite 
  generally 
  at 
  about 
  500 
  fathoms 
  

   depth. 
  

  

  We 
  made 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  surface 
  hauls, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  intermediate 
  

   hauls 
  with 
  the 
  tow 
  nets, 
  but 
  obtained 
  very 
  little 
  animal 
  life. 
  

   The 
  poverty 
  of 
  the 
  surface 
  pelagic 
  life 
  and 
  down 
  to 
  300 
  

   fathoms 
  is 
  remarkable. 
  I 
  do 
  not 
  think 
  I 
  have 
  ever 
  sailed 
  over 
  

   so 
  extensive 
  an 
  area 
  as 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  Paumotus 
  and 
  observed 
  so 
  

   little 
  surface 
  life 
  ; 
  on 
  calm 
  days, 
  under 
  the 
  most 
  favorable 
  con- 
  

   ditions, 
  nothing 
  could 
  be 
  seen 
  with 
  the 
  naked 
  eye, 
  and 
  at 
  night 
  

   there 
  was 
  little 
  or 
  no 
  phosphorescence. 
  Inside 
  of 
  the 
  lagoons 
  

   our 
  hauls 
  were 
  equally 
  barren. 
  

  

  The 
  same 
  paucity 
  of 
  animal 
  life 
  seemed 
  to 
  extend 
  to 
  the 
  

   deepwater 
  fauna. 
  All 
  the 
  hauls 
  we 
  made 
  off 
  the 
  islands, 
  in 
  

   from 
  600 
  to 
  1,000 
  fathoms, 
  usually 
  the 
  most 
  productive 
  area 
  of 
  

   a 
  sea 
  slope, 
  brought 
  nothing, 
  or 
  so 
  little 
  that 
  we 
  came 
  to 
  

   grudge 
  the 
  time 
  spent 
  in 
  trawling 
  on 
  the 
  bottom, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  

   towing 
  on 
  the 
  surface 
  or 
  near 
  it, 
  a 
  great 
  contrast 
  to 
  the 
  condi- 
  

   tions 
  in 
  the 
  Atlantic 
  in 
  similar 
  latitudes, 
  and 
  very 
  different 
  

   from 
  our 
  anticipations. 
  

  

  For 
  these 
  reasons 
  no 
  attempt 
  has 
  thus 
  far 
  been 
  made 
  to 
  

   make 
  a 
  trial 
  of 
  the 
  deep 
  sea 
  pump 
  while 
  in 
  such 
  unproductive 
  

   areas, 
  and 
  unfortunately 
  while 
  we 
  were 
  in 
  the 
  region 
  of 
  the 
  

   equatorial 
  currents 
  the 
  weather 
  conditions 
  were 
  not 
  suited 
  for 
  

   a 
  trial 
  of 
  the 
  apparatus. 
  

  

  