CHAPTER VIII 



A CHAPTER OF ACCIDENTS, EXPLANATIONS, AND DIGRESSIONS 



An Unsuccessful Deep-sea Mission. On the Ganjam Coast : In 

 terra domibus negata. Corals and Sea-worms as Messmates. 

 Retiring Crustaceans. Venomous Fishes. A Digression on 

 Warning Colours. A Musical Prawn. Remarkable Fishes : 

 Callionymus and Bembrops : Fishy Explanations. A Partner- 

 ship of Polyps and Fish : Minous inermis and Co. Self- 

 negation in a Brahminy Duck. A Digression on the Feelings 

 and Emotions of Birds. The Pulicat Shoal. Deep-sea 

 Dredging en route to Bombay. 



On the 9th December, the Investigator left the Cocos 

 for Gopalpur. Crossing the Bay we encountered 

 occasional drift-wood, upon which we found the usual 

 population of crabs ( Varuna literata and Plagitsia 

 depressd), shadowed by the inevitable swarm of file- 

 fishes. We also took some deep-sea soundings, and 

 had one very exciting haul of our new reversible 

 "Blake" pattern trawl. This was right in the middle 

 of the northern end of the Bay, in 1439 fathoms, the 

 bottom being brown mud, of a temperature of 35.3'' 

 Fahr. Instead of leading the dredge - rope through 

 a hawsehole in the bows and a block pendant from 

 the bowsprit, we this time tried the experiment of 



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