sounding was taken at intervals
of 100 fathoms doAvn to 1,500
(Eig. 32).
On the 2nd of October we saw
our first albatross, sailing round
the ship with that majestic careless
flight which has been our
admiration and wonder ever
since; rising and sinking, and
soaring over us in all Aveathers,
utterly regardless of the motion
of the ship, and without the
slightest apparent eflort. I have
often watched these glorious
birds for hours from the bridge,
and notwithstanding all Ave knoAV
or think Ave know about the
mechanics of flight, to the last
I felt inclined to protest that for
so heavy a bird to support itself
motionless in the air, and perform
its vigorous evolutions
AA'ithout a perceptible movement
of the wings, v'as simply impossible
by any mechanical means
of which we have the least
conception.
We sounded on the 3rd in
2,350 fathoms with a bottom of
red mud, still due apparently in a
ffreat decree C3 O to the South American
rivers, and a bottom temperature
of 0°-8 C. The trawl was
Fig. 32. —Diagi-ani o f tlie V e rtic a l
D is trib u tio n o f Température a t
»Station 120.
lowered, and on heaving in it came up apparently
a heavy Aveight, the accumulators being
stretched to tbe utmost. It was a long and AA'eary
wind-in on account of the continued strain ; at
length it came close to the surface, and Ave could
see the distended net through the water; a a T i c u , ju st
as it was leaving the water, and so greatly increasing
its Aveight, the swivel between the dredge-rope and
tbe chain gave way, and the trawl with its unknoAA'n
burden quietly sank out of sight. It Avas a cruel
disappointment,—every one Avas on the bridge, and
curiosity was Avound up to the highest pitch : some
vovA'ed th a t they saw resting on the beam of the
vanishing trawl tbe AA'hite band of the mermaiden
for AA'hom we bad AA'atched so long in vain; but I
think it is more likely th a t tbe traAvl had got bagged
AA'ith the large sea-slugs Avliicli occur in some of these
deep dredgings in large quantity, and have more
than once burst the traAvl net.
At 6.45 P.M. Ave made all plain sail, and shaped our
course to the south-east.
We sounded and traAvled on the 6th in 2,275
iathoms, AA'itn a muddy bottom and a bottom temperature
of 0 ‘7 C., and obtained a series of tempera-
ture-soundings at intervals of 100 fathoms down to
1,000. The trawl came up nearly empty, containing
only an ear-hone of a AA'hale Avith one or ìa v o bydroid
zoophytes attached to it, and a few pebbles of pumice,
one having on it a large flask-shaped foramiuifer or
other allied rliizopod, living.
The depth on the lOtb was 2,050 fathoms, the bottom
an impure globigerina-ooze, and the bottom temperature
1 T C. : Ave AA'ere therefore beginning tbe ascent
L 2