ag 
528 SCIENCE. 
as many distinct families, were obtained in this haul. 
They are the following: Cyclothone lusca Goode and 
Bean, Scopelus Milleri Gmel., ? Aleposomus Copei 
Gill, an undescribed alepocephalid with scaleless 
body and head, Mancalias uranoscopus Murray, and 
Plectropomus crassiceps Goode and Bean MS. 
The species obtained at the greatest depth by the 
Challenger was Gonostoma microdon Giinther, which 
was obtained by the trawl from 2,900 fathoms (5,304 
metres), in north latitude 35° 22’, and east longitude 
169° 53’. 
There may be reason to doubt, with Dr. Ginther, 
the pertinence of Gonostoma microdon to this ex- 
treme depth; and the same may be said of our very 
closely related Cyclothone lusca (a species which is 
at least congeneric with G. microdon), especially 
as we have it from depths varying between 552 and 
5,394 metres; and it is abundant and widely distrib- 
uted in the lesser depths. Scopelus Milleri, also, 
has been obtained in 556 metres. As for ? Alepo- 
somus and Mancalias (and perhaps, also, Plectropo- 
mus), there can be no doubt that they are true deep-sea 
fishes; and we may expect to find them frequently at 
the great depth of 5,400 metres. Mancalias urano- 
scopus Murray was taken at a depth of 4,390 metres 
by the Challenger, in the Atlantic, between Canary 
and Cape Verde Islands. The Albatross specimen of 
this species is the type of Dr. Gill’s supposed new 
blind ceratiid genus, Typhlopsaras. 
JOURNEY OF LESSAR TO SERAKS. 
THE military railway from Michel Bay, on the 
Caspian, to Kisil Arvat, was finished in September, 
1882. It was afterward decided to make a prelimi- 
nary survey, having in view the extension of this road 
to Seraks. The expedition comprised twenty Cos- 
sacks, ten sappers, two surveyors, two interpreters, 
and a guide, who set out from Askabad, a newly estab- 
lished station. In October they reached Annan, 
after crossing a flat country broken here and there 
by sandy hills some two thousand feet in height. 
Annan contains an immense mosque in a half-ruined 
condition, but with its principal facade intact, and 
of remarkable elegance. It is the finest of the few 
monuments of art in the Tekke country. The people 
live mostly in khibitkas: the site of the town is sur- 
rounded with ruined fortifications. Thence the route 
passed between the dunes twenty versts, to Gwiwars, 
which has three series of dilapidated fortifications 
inhabited by a few Kirgis and Tekkes. Several ecar- 
avans of Tekkes were met with on their way from 
Merv to Akhala. Having taken refuge in the Merv 
oasis during the war, they were now expelled by the 
Mervii, who feared famine from the presence of too 
many people. The distance from Gwiwars to Baba 
Durmaz was found to be thirty-six versts, over an 
undulating country. Water is conveyed to Durmaz 
by a canal, and, though a little salt, is used by men 
and beasts without inconvenience. The chiefs of 
Khorassan, enraged by the conquest of Akhala, and 
discontented at the reign of order established by 
Russia on the steppes, are in general unfriendly. 
The population, however, are well satisfied, and ea- 
joy a peace which they have never known. They are 
no longer raided by the Mervli, and many men for-. 
merly enslaved at Khiva or Akhala have returned to 
their villages in freedom due to the Russian conquest. 
From Durmaz to Liutfabad the forests have been cut 
away, and the soil is riddled so by the burrows of por- 
cupines, that men and horses stumble at every step. 
Here and there are hillocks surmounted by ruins of 
towers or ramparts. Very lately each village or farm 
of this country possessed a round tower, with a single 
entrance closed by an enormous stone, to which the 
inhabitants retired at a moment’s notice of the ap- 
proach of one of the robber-bands who infested the 
region. The robbers did not attack the tower, but 
stole or destroyed every thing outside of it. At pres- 
ent a watch is rarely kept, and the towers are falling 
into decay. Liutfabad has a bazaar, reputed the best 
in all that country, where, however, the only goods 
were sugar, dry raisins, rice, nuts, bad tea, and hen- 
na. The inhabitants held the kindest relations with 
the Russian explorers. Thence to Kaakha the coun- 
try for thirty versts is fertile, well watered, with a 
numerous population; but the streams are destitute 
of bridges. Woods were observed toward the moun- 
tains north of the route. 
Near Kaakha the uniformity of the plain is broken 
by villages, fortifications, and numerous tumuli gen- 
erally on the banks of streams. These last were 
said by Vambéry to be erected by the Tekkes over 
the graves of their chiefs; but the people deny this, 
and there is little doubt that they are prehistoric. 
They are circular or elliptical, and reach fifteen or 
twenty metres in height. Along the route the people 
worked in the fields with horses or camels, and did 
not avoid the Russians, but met them on friendly 
terms. The approach of the party constantly started 
up pheasants, partridges, and other game from the 
fields. The Tekke cuisine, observed by the explorers, 
did not comprise the revolting dishes reported by 
Vambéry, but included pilau, game, camel’s milk, 
melons, and pastry. The people eat with their fingers, 
but have wooden spoons. On all the steppes many 
termite-hills were visible, hemispherical, a foot and 
a half high, and two teet in diameter. These insects 
are amber-colored, and half an inch long: they form 
a covered way to any object which they desire to 
consume, especially wood orcloth. Though destruc- 
tive to wooden buildings along the line, they have 
not injured the sleepers of the railway, which is 
ascribed to the jarring motion produced by the pas- 
sage of trains, which is supposed to destroy their 
mud-tunnels, outside of which they will not work. 
Seraks is arather large fortress occupied by a battal- 
ion of Persian infantry. The outer line of works is 
extended to include farms and vineyards. ‘The en- 
virons are habitually pillaged by Tekke robbers, who 
inspire such fear that the garrison never ventures on 
a sortie, and dares not attempt to succor a caravan 
attacked within a mile or two of the ramparts; and ~ 
at night the patrol always carry torches. The fortress 
is armed with six old useless cannon. The River 
[Von. IIL; No. 68. 
en 
