VII.] 
ABUNDANT MARINR LIFE. 
345 
quartz. Here, accordiug to an old custom of Polar travellers, a 
stately cairn was erected. 
In order to get a good 
astronomical determination 
of the position of this im¬ 
portant point I remained 
there until the 20thL August 
at noon. The Lmm was 
ordered to steam out to 
dredge during this time. 
Eight minutes north of 
the bay 5 where we lay at 
anchor, heavy and very 
close- ice was met with. 
There the depth of the sea 
increased rapidly. Animal 
life at the sea-bottom was 
very abundant, among other 
things in large asterids and 
ophiurids. 
According to the plan of 
the voyage I now wished 
to steam from this point 
right eastwards towards the 
New Siberian Islands, in 
order to see if we should 
fall in with land on the way. 
On the 20th and 2Ist we 
OPHIURID FROM THE SEA NORTH OF CAPE 
went forward in this direc- ' chelyuskin. 
. I . ^ Ophiacantlm hidentata, Retz. 
tion among scattered drift- one and one-tnird of the natural-size. 
ice, which was heavier and 
less broken up than that which we had met with on the 
other side of Taimur Land, but without meeting with any 
