SUMMARY OF RESULTS. 
105 
Agassiz. 
carried on extensive explorations off the Atlantic sea-board of the United States at all “Albatross” 
depths, and for many years past the results have been given in the various publications Ati'antk:^ ' ' 
issued from the office of the Commission at Washington . 1 
In the beginning of 1891 the “ Albatross ” took a series of observations off the Pacific “ Albatross 
coast of Central America, under the personal superintendence of Alexander Agassiz. ^ ‘‘ p ®f lTI0N IiN 
x r THE Pacific with 
Three trips were made from Panama, extending from February 22 till April 23, and 84 Alexander 
stations were occupied where the trawl, tangles, and tow-nets were used, and in addition 
5 stations where surface and submarine tow-nets alone were in use. One of the special 
features of the expedition was the experiments with submarine tow-nets, which could be 
closed at any intermediate depth by means of a messenger sent down the line. From the 
results of these experiments, Agassiz concludes that “ in the open sea, even when close to 
the land, the surface pelagic fauna does not descend beyond a depth of 200 fathoms, and 
that there is no intermediate pelagic fauna living between that depth and the bottom, and 
that even the free-swimming bottom species do not rise to any great distance, as we found 
no trace of anything within 60 fathoms from the bottom, where it had been fairly popu- 
lated.” 2 From his experience in the Gulf of California he thinks that “ in a comparatively 
closed sea, at a small distance from the land, there may be a mixture of the surface 
species with the deep-sea bottom species.” 3 The dredgings in the Panamic district showed 
that the deep-sea fauna was allied to that of the West Indies and the Atlantic Coast of 
North America. Mixed with the strictly deep-sea Panamic types were a number of 
forms the wide geographical distribution of which was already known. The richness of the 
Panamic deep-sea fauna does not compare with that of the West Indian side, or that off 
the eastern coast of the United States, and Agassiz believes that “ this comparative poverty 
is due to the absence of a great oceanic current like the Gulf Stream, bringing with it on 
its surface a large amount of food which serves to supply the deep-sea fauna along its 
course.” 4 In addition to the faunic observations already indicated, investigations were 
made on the topography of the bottom, the character of the bottom deposits, serial 
temperatures, specific gravity, and the colour of deep-sea types, while the Galapagos 
Islands were examined as regards their geology and fauna and flora. 
The “Albatross” and the “Thetis” were subsequently engaged in running lines of 
soundings between the coast of California and the Hawaiian Islands, in connection with 
a proposed telegraphic cable between these places. The published results give an 
excellent idea of the relief of this portion of the Pacific sea-bed . 5 
The deep-sea soundings of the “Gettysburg” in the Atlantic in 1876, by the 
“Enterprise ” in 1883-86,® in the Pacific and Indian Oceans, and the exploration of the 
1 See Reports and Bulletins of the U.S. Fish Commission. 
2 Bull. Mus. Comp. Zodl., vol. xxi. p. 194, 1891. 3 Ibid., p. 199. 4 Ibid., p. 186. 
6 See Report on the Practicability of laying a telegraphic cable between the United States and the Hawaiian 
Islands, Government Printing Office, Washington, 1892. 
6 Barker, Deep-sea sounding on the U.S.S. “Enterprise” during 1883-18S0 
(summary of results chall. exp. — 1894.) 14 
