MARINE LIFE

Hokitika Guardian, 21 February 1929, Page 7

MARINE LIFE

SHIPMASTERS ill)BUY

AN INTERESTING STUDY

The study of microsocopica! sea-life is one of the hobbies of Captain (’. P. Freeman, R.N.R., commander of the White IStar liner (’ornithic, which sailed' from Wellington this week foi Southampton and London. Unlike the Danish research ship Dana, whirl recently visits d .New Zealand, and which was especially fitted and commissioned for the purpose, a mail and passenger liner such as the Corinlhic, run ning to a schedule, cannot stop at sea to collect specimens of marine life. Nevertheless, Captain Freeman is aide hy various means to secure much that is of interest to “amateur’’ biologists. Among the passengers who travelled out to New Zealand in the ('ornithic on this, her sixty-fourth voyage, was Professor E. Pcreival, who on me to take a chair of biology at Canterbury College, and he co-operated enthusiastically with Captain Freeman during the passage in taking specimens of marine life. Crossing the Atlantic quantities of “Gulf weed” were secured, and numerous microscopical specimens such as sea spiders and barnacle Avert' found to he “travellers” on the sea weeds.

Lacking the necessary instruments and appliances, the professor and tin captain d"vised make-shift gear for their work. A hag-net was made from a s’lk hankerchief secured to a wire rim taken from a uniform cap. The salt water tap of the captain’s hath drained into this net gai’e quite a good haul of numerous species of the almost transparent microscopical animals known to biologists as plankton which provide food for many fish, and a study of these under the microscope engaged the investigators for hours. On the passage across the Pacific a larger net was made from the muslin covering used on frozen meat carcases, and Avhcn tTie Corinthic stopped at Pitcairn island for a few hours, several goods hauls wore made Among the many specimens obtained were plankton, copopods, a crab in its larvae stage with a “pole” as long as its body for a nose, and a fish’s egir The temperature of tho sea water at Pitcairn Island was 75 deg. Fall., hut as the ship steamed to the southward it foil away to 68 deg., and four days out the crab (lied. The egg, however, hatched out a fi'ny tadpole-looking creature with two U7g black eves which was christened Denis, after the two-year-old son of a physicist, Mr. L. Pastings, who was travelling to New Zealand. “Denis” travelled safely to Wellington, when* the Danish research ship Dana as then lying. Naturally professor I’ereival and Captain Freeman was delighted to visit the little ship and see her wonderful collection of specimens of deep-sea life. “Denis” was duely transferred alive to tho care of Dr prun, one of the Dana’s biologists, who gave Captain Freeman much interesting information regaicling the specimens he had secured and mpny useful hints for the further prosecution of his hobby. During the Corinthic’s three week’s cruise on the coast while loading for London, Captain Freeman carried on his work of collecting specimens of marine life and lie was far more richly rewarded than those who fished with hand-lines while the ship was at anchor or lying at the wharf.