48 FROM EDINBURGH TO THE ANTARCTIC 
materially affect the progress of man, therefore the subject 
should be approached with decent calm and solemnity. 
Imbued with such a spirit of reverence, I offered to 
assist the doctor with the preparation of his tow-net and 
line. The tow-net, I must explain to the uninitiated, is a 
conical bag of silk gauze slung on a metal ring, much 
resembling a jelly-bag in shape, — but perhaps there are 
those who know not the homely jelly-bag ! For those, I 
would liken it to a landing-net, and continue. The tow- 
net was large, and the line attached was long, thin, and 
hard. Having uncoiled this line on deck, upset the coil, 
made all ready in a proper and seamanlike manner, the 
net was dropped over the stern and the ship continued its 
course without a pause. We were doing our best speed 
— a modest five knots — at the time, and naturally the line 
went at the same rate through the four hands of the doctor 
and myself. A salmon line, with a forty-pounder's first 
rush, can touch up your fingers, but I warrant this new 
whip cord, burning through our hands, was a higher style 
of experience ; and, if it had not been for a timely hitch 
round the taffrail, the doctor and I might now be studying 
science with mermaids. 
The doctor used a net afterwards about the size of a 
small butterfly-net. We made a splendid haul. In the 
few hundred yards the net was dragged we caught some 
millions of animalculse that would scarcely have felt 
crowded in a wine glass. We diluted a teaspoonful of the 
mixture in a tumbler of water and gloated for hours over 
its marvellous beauty. There were minute crustaceans, 
clad in glittering coats of mediaeval armour, transparent 
