EEPORT ON THE DEEP-SEA DEPOSITS. 
view of procuring specimens of the deposits below the superficial layers. With it 
good samples of the mud and of the bottom water are obtained without trouble. The 
instrument consists of the “water-bottle” A, a tube about 18 inches^ long and 2^ 
inches^ in diameter, of about one litre capacity. It has at each end a valve, H, K, 
made of india-rubber, on a metal seating, opening upwards. Above the upper valve H, 
the shank C is screwed into the tube A, and below the lower one K, the mud tube B, 
which is 12 inches^ long and 1 inch^ in diameter, is screwed to A. Into the lower end 
of the mud tube B can be inserted the valve L, which consists of a piece of thin sheet 
brass, cut out like a comb, and bent round into a cylindrical shape. It is soldered to a 
stouter piece of brass tube, which fits into the end of B and is retained by a bayonet 
joint. At the upper end of the shank C the tumbler D supports the weight E by the 
sling F, and is in its turn supported by the sounding line M. 
The details of the tumbler are shown in Figs. 8, 9, 10. It will be seen that at its 
Fig. 8. 
Pig. 9. 
Fig. 10. 
Disengaging Apparatus for Buchanan’s Sounding Tube and Water-Bottle. 
upper end it has the hole a, into which the eye of the sounding line is spliced. At the 
lower end it has three notches, h, c, and d. If it is not wished to detach the weight, the 
sling supporting it is hooked into the notch d, which is considerably below the suspend- 
ing axis. Consequently, when' the tube reaches the bottom and the sounding line 
above slackens, the tumbler still preserves its upright attitude, and on heaving up, the 
sinker is recovered along with the tube. If the sinker is not to be recovered, the sling 
is hooked in the notch h, which is above the axis. When the tube reaches the bottom 
and the sounding line slackens, the pressure of the sling upsets the tumbler, which falls 
1 45'7 centimetres. ^ 57‘35 mm. ^ 30-48 centimetres. 25’4 mm. 
