PRESIDENT’S ADDRESS — SECTION C. 
87 
some of tlie officers to it one of them remarked that a large berg 
which had been an object of observation before, had disappeared, or 
rather had turned over unperceived by us, and presented a new 
surface, covered with earth and stones, so exactly like an island that 
nothing but landing on it could have convinced us to the contrary had 
not its appearance been so satisfactorily explained, and moreover, on 
more careful observation, a slight rolling motion was still perceptible.” 
This proves that Antarctic bergs may in this way lift a considerable 
amount of rocky material from the sea-floor, and there is every reason 
to infer that it might be transported to some distance before being 
dropped back again, when the iceberg melts. Such phenomena are, 
however, probably rather exceptional. He states (op. cit., pp. 199-200) 
that sand and broken shells formed the sea-floor in lat. 78° 3' S. 
in ISO fathoms, 120 miles from land, and near the same spot in 230 
fathoms “ small stones with some pieces of coral and a erustaceous 
animal (Nyviphon gracilc ), common in the Arctic Seas, catne up with 
the lead. * * * We considered it a curious circumstance finding 
the water so shallow at so great a distauce from such high land.” 
The probable explanation of tlie above, as it seems to me, is that the 
sea-floor has been reduced to a tolerably uniform level by the deposits 
formed by the icebergs. It is a significant fact that the water was 
just deep enough to float the icebergs of that locality. The bergs in 
their movement equatorwards would tend to keep the deposits on the 
floor of the ocean skimmed down to about tlie maximum depth of 
the flotation of their bases for some distance north of the ice barrier. 
Nine days before discovering Mounts Erebus and Terror, when 
in lat. S. 72 c 3T, long. E. 173° 39', Eoss states (op. cit., p. 201)— 
“ The dredge was put over in 270 fathoms water, and after trailing 
along the ground for some time was hauled in. It was found to 
contain a block of grey granite, composed of large crystals of quartz, 
mica, and felspar, with apparently a clean and recent fracture as if 
lately broken off from the main rock, and had probably been deposited 
by the agency of an iceberg. Besides this there were a great many 
stones of various kinds of granite rock.” He also states (op. cit., 
p. 202) — “ Corallines, Flustra ?, and a variety of marine invertebrate 
animals also came up in tlie net, showing an abundance and great 
variety of animal life.” Unfortunately Sir James Eoss did not note 
whether the fragments of rock brought up by the dredge were 
glaciated. Important evidence, however, on this question was obtained 
later by the “ Challenger,” as will be stated presently. The organisms 
obtained from 270 fathoms in lat. S. 72° 31', long. E. 178° 39 , were as 
follows (op. cit., App. iv., pp. 334-3G) Three species of Lepralia\ 
Retepora celhiJosa ; a Retepora or Horneva ; a few species of P rimnoa, 
P. Ross ii ; a Melitcea, nov. sp. M. australis ; a Madrepom (?), nov. 
sp. M. fissurata. In high Antarctic latitudes Eoss found that the 
floor of the ocean was chiefly composed of soft, green mud. Several 
bergs were seen carrying on their surface large blocks of volcanic rock. 
The following statement from the report of the u Challenger 
Expedition* is of special interest: — 
“ Erom the depth of 1,675 fathoms, in lat. 65° 42' S., long. /9 3 E., 
the dredge brought up many kinds of rocks and pebbles, some of 
* Report of the Scientific Results of the Exploring Voyage of H.M.S. 
“ Challenger,” 1S73-7G. Narrative of the Cruise. Vol. i., p. 434-435. 
