﻿1875.] 
  

  

  Cruise 
  of 
  H. 
  M.S. 
  ' 
  Challenger.' 
  

  

  249 
  

  

  Animal 
  life 
  was 
  not 
  abundant. 
  Many 
  of 
  the 
  animals 
  seemed 
  dwarfed, 
  

   and 
  the 
  fauna 
  had 
  somewhat 
  the 
  character 
  of 
  that 
  of 
  a 
  harbour 
  or 
  

   estuary. 
  The 
  specific 
  gravity 
  of 
  the 
  surface-water 
  was 
  unusually 
  low, 
  

   falling 
  on 
  the 
  23rd, 
  off 
  Dobbo 
  Harbour, 
  to 
  1-02505, 
  the 
  temperature 
  

   reduced 
  to 
  15°*5 
  0., 
  distilled 
  water 
  at 
  4° 
  C. 
  =1. 
  

  

  After 
  spending 
  a 
  few 
  days 
  shooting 
  Paradise-birds 
  and 
  getting 
  an 
  

   idea 
  of 
  the 
  natural 
  history 
  of 
  the 
  island 
  of 
  "Wokaw, 
  we 
  left 
  Dobbo 
  on 
  

   the 
  23rd 
  and 
  proceeded 
  to 
  Ke 
  Doulan, 
  the 
  principal 
  village 
  in 
  the 
  Ke 
  

   group. 
  We 
  then 
  went 
  on 
  to 
  the 
  island 
  of 
  Banda, 
  where 
  we 
  remained 
  a 
  

   couple 
  of 
  days, 
  and 
  thence 
  to 
  Amboina, 
  which 
  we 
  reached 
  on 
  the 
  4th 
  of 
  

   October. 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  26th 
  of 
  September, 
  after 
  leaving 
  the 
  Ke 
  Islands,, 
  we 
  sounded 
  

   and 
  trawled 
  in 
  129 
  fathoms. 
  The 
  trawl 
  brought 
  up 
  a 
  wonderful 
  assem- 
  

   blage 
  of 
  things, 
  including, 
  with 
  a 
  large 
  number 
  of 
  Mollusca, 
  Crustacea, 
  

   and 
  Echinoderms 
  of 
  more 
  ordinary 
  forms, 
  several 
  fine 
  examples 
  of 
  unde- 
  

   scribed 
  hexactinellid 
  sponges, 
  and 
  several 
  very 
  perfect 
  specimens 
  of 
  two 
  

   new 
  species 
  of 
  Pentctcrinus. 
  Temperature-soundings 
  were 
  taken 
  on 
  the 
  

   28th 
  of 
  September 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  3rd 
  of 
  October, 
  at 
  depths 
  of 
  2800 
  and 
  

   1420 
  fathoms 
  respectively 
  ; 
  and 
  on 
  both 
  occasions 
  the 
  minimum 
  tempera- 
  

   ture 
  (3° 
  C.) 
  was 
  reached 
  at 
  a 
  depth 
  of 
  900 
  fathoms, 
  indicating 
  that 
  the 
  

   lowest 
  part 
  of 
  a 
  barrier 
  inclosing 
  the 
  Banda 
  Sea, 
  bounded 
  by 
  Taliabo, 
  

   Buru, 
  and 
  Ceram 
  on 
  the 
  north, 
  the 
  Aru 
  Islands 
  on 
  the 
  east, 
  Timor 
  and 
  

   the 
  Salwatty 
  Islands 
  on 
  the 
  south, 
  and 
  Celebes 
  and 
  the 
  shoals 
  of 
  the 
  

   Flores 
  Sea 
  on 
  the 
  west, 
  is 
  900 
  fathoms 
  beneath 
  the 
  surface. 
  

  

  From 
  Amboina 
  we 
  went 
  to 
  Ternate, 
  and 
  thence 
  across 
  the 
  Molucca 
  

   passage 
  into 
  the 
  Celebes 
  Sea, 
  by 
  the 
  passage 
  between 
  Bejaren 
  Island 
  

   and 
  the 
  north-east 
  point 
  of 
  Celebes. 
  On 
  the 
  13th, 
  we 
  trawled 
  and 
  took 
  

   serial 
  temperatures 
  near 
  Great 
  Tawallie 
  Island. 
  The 
  trawl 
  brought 
  up 
  

   several 
  specimens 
  of 
  a 
  very 
  elegant 
  stalked 
  halichondroid 
  sponge 
  new 
  to 
  

   science, 
  and 
  the 
  thermometer 
  gave 
  temperatures 
  sinking 
  normally 
  to 
  a 
  

   bottom-temperature 
  of 
  2 
  o, 
  04 
  C. 
  On 
  the 
  following 
  day 
  we 
  sounded 
  in 
  

   1200 
  fathoms, 
  with 
  again 
  a 
  normal 
  bottom-temperature 
  of 
  l°-9 
  C. 
  It 
  

   seems, 
  therefore, 
  that 
  the 
  Molucca 
  passage 
  communicates 
  freely 
  with 
  the 
  

   outer 
  ocean 
  ; 
  it 
  does 
  so 
  at 
  all 
  events 
  to 
  the 
  depth 
  of 
  1200 
  fathoms, 
  and 
  

   most 
  probably 
  to 
  the 
  bottom, 
  if 
  it 
  include 
  greater 
  depths. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  Celebes 
  Sea 
  we 
  had 
  two 
  deep 
  soundings 
  — 
  on 
  the 
  20th, 
  to 
  2150 
  

   fathoms, 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  22nd, 
  to 
  2600 
  fathoms. 
  On 
  both 
  occasions 
  serial 
  

   temperature-soundings 
  were 
  taken, 
  and 
  on 
  both 
  the 
  minimiun 
  tempera- 
  

   ture 
  of 
  3°-7 
  C. 
  (38°*7 
  F.) 
  was 
  reached 
  at 
  700 
  fathoms. 
  A 
  passage 
  of 
  

   this 
  depth 
  into 
  the 
  Celebes 
  Sea 
  is 
  therefore 
  indicated, 
  very 
  probably 
  

   from 
  the 
  Molucca 
  passage. 
  This 
  temperature 
  corresponds 
  almost 
  

   exactly 
  with 
  that 
  taken 
  by 
  Captain 
  Chimmo 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  area. 
  We 
  

   trawled 
  on 
  the 
  20th 
  ; 
  and 
  although 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  specimens 
  procured 
  

   was 
  not 
  large, 
  they 
  were 
  sufficient 
  to 
  give 
  evidence 
  of 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  

   the 
  usual 
  deep-sea 
  fauna. 
  

  

  VOL. 
  XXIII. 
  X 
  

  

  