Dredging Expedition at Port Erin

Abstract

THE Liverpool Marine Biology Committee organised a dredging expedition from the Port Erin Biological Station at Easter. The party of a dozen naturalists included several members of the committee, Mr. I. C. Thompson, Mr. A. Leicester and Prof. Herdman, Prof. Weiss, Dr. Hurst, Mr. Gamble, and Mr. Hick from Owens College, Mr. W. I Beaumont, and Mr. E. T. Browne. The steam trawler Lady Loch was chartered for two days, and the weather was perfect for work at sea. On the first day, the sea-bottom to the north of Port Erin, from Fleshwick to Contrary Head at Peel, was explored at twelve stations ranging from quarter of a mile to four miles from the coast, and from depths of ten to twenty fathoms. On the second day the steamer coasted along the west side of Calf Island and about four miles further to the west, dredging at nine stations from one to four miles from land and at depths of nineteen to twenty-five fathoms. Two series of samples of the bottom deposits brought up in the dredge were preserved, the one set for more detailed examination in the laboratory, the other for transmission to the Jermyn Street Museum, where the Director-General of the Survey is forming a series illustrating the submarine deposits of our coasts. Besides the more ordinary gravels, sands, and muds, several peculiar deposits occurred, one of which was almost entirely composed of the shells of Pectunculus glycimeris, while another, which looked like a coarse sand, was seen to be formed of the broken spines of Spatangus and other Echinoderms. In some places the bottom for considerable distances is covered with Melobesia and Lithothamnium.