36 
Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 
casings wlien being fitted into their brass carriers, both deep-sea 
thermometers burst, thus depriving ns of the means for determining 
the thermal distribution of the forms we were dredging. 
The sea was pretty calm all day, but there was a long roll from 
the south-west. As the weather was promising, we anticipated with 
eagerness the results of next day's dredgings. "We steamed slowly all 
night, occassionally lying to, so that we might commence at 1000 
fathoms the following morning. 
The two or three more responsible members of the party were up > 
by 2.30 A.M., and, sounding, found that we were in 1100 fathoms^ 
The lard at the bottom of the sounding-lead was coated with Globi- 
gerina ooze. The enormous labour of turning the handle of the sound- 
ing machine by hand led to the simple device of connecting the drum 
of the machine with the donkey-engine at the bows by means of a 
cord; this arrangement proving perfectly satisfactory, was thereafter 
alone used. As soon as possible a small dredge was lowered, all our 
wire- and manilla-rope being put into requisition. Great care had to 
be taken during the whole operations to relieve the tension on the 
warp, as we had no accumulators. "When the dredge was down, the 
rope, immediately after it left the donkey-engine, was twice turned , 
round a timber head, and when the man there stationed saw that the 
rope was giving, a little fresh rope was payed off by the donkey, and 
the steamer was so handled as to reduce the strain. It took over three 
hours to haul up the dredge, and during this time the wind began to 
freshen and the sea to become lumpy. At 9.45 the dredge came up 
empty — a great disappointment after seven hours of hard work upon 
empty stomachs. 
The steamer's course was put towards Yalentia, the proposal being 
to dredge en route in about 500 fathoms and less, as it was evident our 
rope was insujQEicient for greater depths. 
At 1.30 P.M. a blank was drawn at 480 fathoms, and about 
5 o'clock P.M. a trawling was made some 42 miles fi'om the Great 
Skellig in 160 fathoms. The above-mentioned species of Dorocidaris, 
Spatangus, and Holothuria were obtained; also a small specimen of 
Ophiothrix lutheni, and three large examples of Caryophyllia horealis 
{smithii). Their coralla were 1^ inch in height, and 1 inch to 
1|- inch in their long axis. They formed most lovely objects when 
fully expanded, being of a translucent white colour, the tentacles 
speckled with opaque spots, and the disk with a bright yellowish 
grass-green waved line round the elongated mouth. Upon one of 
them was a sand-coated pink anemone, with an expanded base and 
