Contributions to the Fauna of the Bahamas 



25 



sponges several kinds of commercial forms occur, the bank west to Andros being 

 one of the most inportant sponging places. Except these animals and the fauna 

 dwelling in them the sea-bottom is for very vast areas perfectly sterile. Nothing is 

 to be found. One of the most lifeless localities I have ever seen is that along the 

 western beach of Andros. The only animal living I here observed was a reddish 

 ascidia and large sting rays. The water is here very shallow and the bottom con- 

 sists of white marl. It is only at some distance from the beach that the sponges 

 with their fauna are found. 



The deap-sea fauna. The only knowledge we have about the fauna in the 

 depths of the Bahamas is that given by Alex. Agassiz who during his cruise on 

 the »Wild Duck» made some hauls with a self-closing Tanner net, but very little 

 was found. As mentioned before shells of Spirula, Pterophryne and other fishes 

 may sometimes be found washed on the beach. They all belong to a fauna occur- 

 ring in comparatively deep water. 



The sea-plandon. Alex. Agassiz has also mentioned some planetonic forms 

 gathered during his trip to the Bahamas, as Diphyes, numerous copepods, Alciope, 

 larvse of crustaceans, appendicularia, molusc larvae, pteroj^ods and so on, but the 

 pelagic life is rather poor. 



Lunds Umv:s Årsskrift. N. F. Afd. 2. Bd 7. 



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