63 
were also made in the shallow water belween the islands of the 
Little Kei-group. This is practically all that was done till now in 
this region, the Expedition of Dr. H. Merton (1907—8) having 
confined its marine researches to collecting on the reefs and at 
the coast. 
From the data thus available it was to be expected that the 
interesting biological conditions, first observed to the south of the 
Island Taam, resulting in the occurrence of a rich genuine abyssal 
fauna in depths of only ca. 2—300 M., would be found all over 
this region. And this was, in faet, the main object of the Expe¬ 
dition: to carry out investigations here with the view of giving the 
definite proof or disproof — of this suggestion. If proof were 
given that the suggestion was correct, this would mean that the 
principal condition for choosing the Kei Islands as the place of the 
planned Laboratory was fulfilled. 
First of all the bathymetrical conditions of this area had to be 
studied to a mueh greater extent than had been done hitherto, the 
few stations of the “Siboga” being almost the only available data 
outside the littoral.^) It is true that H. O. W. Planten has pu- 
blished (in 1892)2) a detailed map of the sea round the Kei Islands, 
giving numerous soundings; as he had, however, no apparatus for 
sounding greater depths than 40 fathoms, his contribution to the 
knowledge of the extra-littoral areas does not amount to mueh more 
than stating the depths there to exceed 40 fathoms. Besides in 
the places where dredgings were undertaken — the stations marked 
on the map, PI. II — soundings were made in several other places. 
On the basis of these soundings, together with those of the “Chal- 
lenger , the “Siboga” and of Planten, the bathymetrical chart of 
the Kei-region, PI. I, has been worked out. Future investigations 
may perhaps prove the 400 M. curve to go somewhat farther in 
from the North and South between the Kei and the Tajando groups, 
only relatively few soundings having been made in the outer part. 
But in the main this chart is correct. It has thus been proved 
that the area between the two said groups of islands forms a large 
plateau with very uniform depths, sinking gradually from ca. 200 
0 The „Challenger” made two soundings between the Kei and the Tajando 
Islands. 
2) Tijdschr. Kon. Nederlandsch Aardrijkskundig Genootschap. IX. 1892. 
