174 



Messrs. Carpenter and Jeffreys on 



[Dec. 8, 



Somewhat nearer the shore, at a depth of from 40 to 80 fathoms, we got 

 the following Mollusca : — Pecchiolia, sp. n. (Sic. foss.) ; Solarium pseudo- 

 perspectivum (Sic. foss.) ; Nassa semistriata, Brocchi (Sic. foss., and Co- 

 ralline and Red Crag) = iV. labiosa, S. Wood,=iV. trifasciata, H. Adams ; 

 and Bulla, sp. n. 



52. Again proceeding into deep water we perseveringly explored the 

 bottom with the Dredge ; and from a bottom of 1508 fathoms we brought 

 up some hundredweights of the same barren mud as had previously given 

 so much trouble and to so little profit. The sieve and the washing-tub 

 again returned for answer " barren all." Disappointing as this negative 

 result was to us as Zoologists, there are aspects under which it may be 

 viewed that may give it no small value to Geologists. On these, however, 

 we can more fittingly enlarge hereafter (§ 102). Once more, shifting our 

 ground a few miles, we put down our dredge in 1456 fathoms' water, and 

 brought it up loaded with a similar profitless freight. 



53. We now determined to keep closer to the Shore, and worked for 

 several days along the African Coast, for the most part using the " tangles," 

 the ground being too rocky for the dredge. Here we came upon a small 

 fleet of Coral-fishers ; and were not a little interested in finding that they 

 employed " tangles" similar to our own as their most effective method of 

 collecting. We swept the shore with these very assiduously, usually be- 

 tween 50 and 100 fathoms; and although we obtained Polyzoa, Echino- 

 derms, and Corals in considerable abundance, there were not many of 

 special interest. We may note, however, that several of the Polyzoa 

 which occurred in the region in which the Red Coral is found, had, when 

 fresh, a red colour nearly as brilliant as that by which it is characterized ; 

 but this colour, in the Polyzoa, was quite evanescent. At Station 55 we 

 obtained the following Mollusca : — Leda acuminata, JefFr. (Sic. foss.), 

 Dentalium abyssorum, Sars (northern), and Turritella subangulat a,Brocchi 

 (Sic. foss.). 



54. The extreme heat of the weather having produced an exhausting 

 effect upon our crew, especially on the engineers and stokers, Capt. Calver 

 considered it desirable to give them rest ; and we accordingly made for the 

 Bay of Tunis, which we reached at mid-day on Saturday, Sept. 3rd. 

 The town itself is situated at the head of a shallow lagoon or salt-lake, 

 that communicates with the sea by a narrow channel ; and at this entrance 

 there is a small sea-port named the Goletta, having a basin for vessels of 

 moderate size. The lake, although about six miles long, has only from 

 six to seven feet of water at its deepest part ; and when the water is un- 

 usually low, a small Steamer, which plies between the Goletta and Tunis, 

 is not always able to run, as happened at the time of our visit. Owing to 

 the great evaporation, and the absence of any stream of fresh water, the 

 water of this lake is usually very salt ; but when heavy rains fall, the 

 level is considerably raised, and the saltness is diminished. Thus the 

 condition of this lake in regard to that of the sea outside is sometimes that 

 of ihe Mediterranean in regard to that of the Atlantic (§ 122), and some- 



