Sep., 1889. 
THE POCKET DREDGE. 
213 
dredge a lead weight of 31b. fastened at the junction of the 
wire-rope and the marked cord. Also an ordinary wooden 
cross-frame for winding the cord upon. I used the dredge, 
as thus made, and found it work very well, except that the 
bag required altering. 
On showing it to a gentleman who has done a great deal 
of dredging in all parts of the world (Government work, &c.), 
he advised me to try chains attached to the bars. I tried the 
chains, and went out dredging. The water was very rough 
for the small boat I was in, and the dredge would not act, so 
I altered it back to the wire handles as formerly, and tried a 
fresh bag made to open at the lower end, and longer, being 
24in long. This I found to act splendidly. 
Being open at the end, it required tying in a bunch about 
2in. from the end ; and on bringing it up full, I untied the end, 
and dropped its contents out into a coarse sieve of -|in. mesh, 
lying within a finer one to retain sand and foraminifera, and 
yet allowing the finer mud to be washed out by agitating the 
sieve in the sea. The sieve should first be tied to the boat, 
as I had one knocked out of my hand, and lost it, being metal, 
in the depths below. 
In the coarsest sieve were found brittle-stars, stones, algae, 
viz., Melobesia calcarea ; and hydroids, as Sertidarius, Ac. If 
possible, a vessel, such as a baling can, might be used in the 
boat to wash and separate many foraminifera, by putting a 
portion of the sand or mud in it with water, and giving a 
rapid circular motion to its contents ; then, on pouring the 
water through the finest sieve immediately the sand begins to 
settle, we retain the forms that will float; always keep some 
of the mud unwashed, to wash at leisure at home. Then 
look carefully over the residue for such forms as Astrortriza 
limisola , Ac. This procedure enables one to carry away less 
waste material. 
Again, the bag can be made of different materials, accord¬ 
ing to the character of the objects dredged for ; such as an 
outside bag of open canvas, and an interior bag of silk gauze, 
which will allow free egress to the water, but retain the objects 
desired. A small pocket, drawn together by a cord, at the 
entrance of the bag, made on the principle of an eel or lobster- 
trap, will retain the objects in case the dredge is inverted. 
These few remarks I have made, thinking that some of 
the members of the Birmingham Natural History and Micro¬ 
scopical Society might like to have such an object as a pocket 
dredge. As to cost, weight, &c. : Cord, 50ft., 5s.; making 
of dredge, under 5s. ; weight of ditto, 31b. 2oz. ; lead, 31b.; 
total weight, cord, dredge, and lead, 91b. 2oz. 
