52 A NOVICE IN THE ANDAMANS 



the commander, the dredge was slowly hauled in, the 

 rope being reeled over a surging-drum attached to the 

 ship's steam-winch. A second sounding was then 

 taken, which showed 1 1 2 fathoms, and the ship's 

 bearings by the shore were again noted. The dredge 

 was at last hove up to the foreyard whence it had 

 started, and was then fished inboard on to the fore- 

 castle deck and handed over to the expectant surgeon- 

 naturalist. 



Unfortunately on this occasion the net contained 

 more of mud than of anything else, and the washing 

 of this mud through a series of strainers kept me fully 

 employed until after nightfall. 



The objects of chief interest in this haul were some 

 specimens of the curious, fragile, pancake-like starfish 

 Palmipes. I was afterwards much impressed to find 

 that of the three other species of this genus, one is 

 an inhabitant of the English Channel and Mediterranean 

 basin, another is found in the Bay of Bengal and off 

 Japan, while the third is only known from the sea 

 north of New Guinea. 



The next piece of collecting-gear with whose work- 

 ing I had to become familiar was the tow-net or 

 surface-net. This, which is like a jelly-bag with a 

 valve-like curtain inside its mouth, and a lamp-chimney 

 tied in its very long tail, is simply allowed to drift 

 from the ship at the end of a long line. When 

 brought on board, the lamp-chimney, into which the 



