1868.] 



on Deep-sea Dredgings. 



173 



came up on the dredge-rope, whilst other portions, with the body (ap- 

 parently belonging to one and the same individual), were found in the 

 dredge. 



15. The weather again occasioned for two days an interruption in our 

 dredging; and it did not even permit the use of the proper deep-sea 

 sounding-apparatus. But a sounding was taken on Sept. 5th, in lat. 60° 30' 

 and long. 7° 16', with the ordinary deep-sea lead, which showed that there 

 was no bottom at 450 fathoms [822 metres], and gave a minimum tempe- 

 rature, indicated by the mean of two thermometers (which marked 33° and 

 35|° respectively), of 33^° [0 o, 7 Cent.], the surface-temperature being 50° 

 [10°-0 Cent.]. 



16. It was then considered expedient to shape our course in a southerly 

 direction ; and on the morning of September 6th we found ourselves in lat. 

 59° 36' and long. 7° 20'. Here a very careful Sounding gave a depth of 

 530 fathoms [969 metres]; and the minimum temperature indicated by the 

 mean of three thermometers (which registered 47°, 47j°, and 47|° re- 

 spectively) was 47^° [8°'5 Cent.], the surface-temperature being 52|° 

 [ll°*4 Cent.]. This result fully confirmed that obtained by our first less 

 satisfactory sounding in nearly the same locality (§ 5), which the low 

 temperatures subsequently obtained with such uniformity in like depths 

 elsewhere had led us to doubt. — We were able on this day to obtain several 

 good casts of the Dredge, the results of which proved of extraordinary 

 interest. The bottom consisted of a bluish-white tenacious mud, con- 

 taining but a small admixture of the Globigerince so abundantly obtained 

 by previous soundings from various parts of the sea-bottom of the 

 North Atlantic. Imbedded in this mud there came up an extraordinary 

 collection of Siliceous Sponges, of new and most remarkable forms ; 

 and with these was associated the Hyalonema Sieboldii, which appeared 

 to us clearly referable to that Family. The Rhizopods found in this 

 mud were scarcely less interesting ; for besides numerous specimens 

 of the typically triradiate Rhabdammina abyssorum (?), presenting a 

 varied range of forms, another large group of gigantic coarsely arena- 

 ceous bodies presented themselves, of the most varied shapes, appa- 

 rently referable to the Astrorhiza limicola* as their fundamental type, 

 together with a large and perfect living specimen of Cristellaria, closely 

 resembling that common in the Sicilian Tertiaries, and a Cornuspira of 

 extraordinary size. With these lower forms, our dredgings on this bottom 

 brought up a considerable variety of higher types, Zoophytes, Echinoderms, 

 Mollusks, and Crustaceans ; among which may be mentioned, as of special 

 interest, two specimens of Rhizocrinus, the small Apiocrinoid whose recent 

 discovery by M. Sars on the coast of Norway (see Appendix) may be 

 considered as having furnished a principal " motive " of our expedition, 

 and a living Oculina prolifera, of which we had on previous occasions 

 brought up only dead and worn specimens. — We thus obtained evidence of 



* See Dr. Sandahl in ' (Efversigt af Vet. Akad. Fovhandl.' 1857, p. 299. 



O 2 



