389
Agassiz paid us a siioid visit from Boston during
our stay, and we liad great pleasure in introducing
him to some novelties in his favourite groups, and
chatting over our plans Avith him.
On the morning of the 15th a large number
of the members of the Nova Scotia Institute and
their friends came on hoard, under the guidance
of Dr. Honeyman, and Ave took them over the
ship and shoAA'ed them all our appliances; and
at 4 o’clock in the afternoon Ave cast off from
the jetty and proceeded on our return voyage to
Bermudas.
On the folloAving morning Ave sounded in 83 fathoms
on the eastern extremity of Le Have bank, Avith a
hottom of stones and gravel, and a hottom temperature
of l°-7 C., that of the surface heing 4°’7 C. Lour
hauls of the dredge were taken in rapid succession,
the dredge remaining on the bottom on each occasion
for ahout an hour. W e thus got an extremely good
idea of the fauna, Avhich Avas decidedly sub-arctic in
its character, Avith abundance of the characteristic
large amphipod crustaceans and large P y c n o g o n i d z e .
Mollusca Avere more numerous than usual, doubtless
on account of the small depth, including species
of the genera Sepiola, Fusus, Buccinwn, Troplion,
Yoldia, Astarte, Arca, &c. The annelids were
represented hy a large form allied to Aphrodita,
Avhich Avas in great numhers, Onupliis, Sahella, and
others ; and the echinoderms, AA’hich as usual were
abundant and prominent, by fine species of the
genera Astrogonium and Archaster; a few urchins,
including Tripylus f r a g i l i s ; and many of a small
Bsolus, probably B. squamalus, M ü l l e r . A series
of soundings Avas taken at every 20 fathoms from
the surface,—
Surface
20 fathoms
40 „
7C.
2
75
60 fathoms
83 „
7 5 0 .
75
Avhich shoAved that the
1°'75 C. Avas reached at
40 fathoms.
We sounded and trawled again on the following
day in 1,250 fathoms with a hottom of grey ooze, and
a bottom temperature of 2°-7 C. Again echinoderms,
including Anledon, Brisinga, Archaster, and Ophio-
musium predominated ; hut we had in addition some
good corals, and among them some specimens of
Caryophyllia borealis of an unusually large size.
Sticking all over the outside of the bag, there were
many examples of a small Ilolothurian, Avith an outer
Avail so delicate that in almost every case the intestine,
Avhich was loaded Avith ooze, had broken throusrh it
and destroyed the specimen.
The depth on the 22nd AA’as 2,020 fathoms, and the
bottom an impure globigerina-ooze. Serial temperatures
minimum temperature of
a depth between 20 and
AA’ere taken (Appendix A.), and AA'e essayed to
dredge, hut the dredge-rope parted at 1,700 fathoms
Avithout any apparent cause. Tliere Avas now a
very decided rise in the surface temperature as Ave
approached the northern borders of tlie Gulf-stream.
Next day aa’O sounded in 2,800 fathoms. lYe took
a series of temperature soundings, but a very heavy
SAvell from the south-Avest prevented our dredging.
At about 1 o’clock a.m. there Avas a sudden
rise of the thermometer at the sea-surface from
12°'2 C. to 18°'2 C., and it rose steadily during the
i'
f.
i: