1876.] 



Biology of the ' Valorous' Cruise, 1875. 



185 



(Norway and AYest of Ireland, and fossil in Sicily), and an exquisite 

 species of a ne\y genus wliich I will name Seguenzla, and presently 

 describe. The last is likewise a Sicilian fossil, and was found by me 

 in the ' Porcupine ' Expedition of 1870 off the Atlantic coasts of Spain 

 and Portugal. Dr. M'Intosh notes a ney\' and remarkable species of 

 Ditnjj^a, and Mr. Xorman seyeral interesting Crustacea, Poraminifera, 

 and a Sponge. 



16. 20th August. Pine and sunshiny, with a calm sea. A sounding 

 in lat. 56° 1' Is., 34o 42' W., gaye 690 fathoms only. Surface tempera- 

 ture 53°, bottom 38°-2. Dredged here and got Discina Atlantica, Leda 

 acuminata, Limojpsis minuta (horealis, Woodward), Fusus Berniciensis, 

 and Scaiohander j^uncto-striatus (lihrarius, Loyen), besides some of the 

 'Porcupine' noyelties, such as Dentalium cajnUosum,^., Fusus attenuatus, 

 J., and another species of Seguenzia hereafter noticed as carinata. The 

 Dentalium had been also dredged by Count Pourtales in the Gulf of 

 Mexico, and since in the ' Challenger ' Expedition. There were like- 

 wise fragments of a yolcanic or igneous rock (which, according to 

 Mr. Etheridge, came probably from Iceland) as well as stones in the 

 dredgings from 1750 and 1450 fathoms. The great difference of 

 depth in the same track between the last and next sounding (1450 : 

 690 : 1230) was yery striking ; and we almost fancied that we had 

 got on the sunken land of Buss. (See Dr. Wallich's ' Xorth- Atlantic 

 Sea -bed.') Put a more likely explanation may be, that the interme diate, 

 and shallowest depth represents a submarine ridge corresponding with 

 that discoyered in the ' Bulldog' (yiz. 1168 : 748 : 1260) between 59° 

 and 60° N. lat. The fauna appeared to be the same on each side of the 

 ridge. We sounded the next two days in 1230 and 1485 fathoms. 



17. Our last sounding and dredgiug were made on the 23rd of August 

 in 1785 fathoms. The sifting of a good load of ooze did not yield much. 

 More fragments of Atretia gnomon, Malletia e.vcisa, A.vinus Croulinensis, 

 A. feri'uginosus, and the fry of Isocardia cor, with a few of the ' Porcu- 

 pine' deep-water species, were the principal results in the Mollusca. 

 Mr. Norman reports some nndescribed Echinodermata, Isopoda, and 

 Ostracoda ; and Dr. M'Intosh a second species of his genus Taclujtry- 

 ])ane under the name arctica. The following day another Atlantic gale 

 came on, with yiolent squalls ; the ^^ ater in the dam increased from 

 3 feet 10 inches to 8 feet ; and we were battened down. This stopped 

 all further scientific exploratio]i ; but eleyen out of twenty stations in 

 the Admiralty programme had been examined, and we had nearly joined 

 the soundings westward of Ireland obtained in the ' Porcupine.' "We 

 returned home safely on the 29th of August, after a rather eyentful 

 cruise of three months. 



It is hoped that the scientific work thus done has not been unprofit- 

 able, and that it may in some measure serye to supplement the far 

 greater exploration of the ' Challenger,' which did not extend north of 



