REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. IX 



radiates weie also secured, among them Comatida, Ccriantlius, Schiz- 

 aster, Astrogonhim, &c. 



The opportunity was of course embraced to study the habits and 

 structures of the animals collected during the season and kept in aqua- 

 ria ; and the artist of the expedition, Mr. J. H. Emerton, made over 300 

 drawings of these from life mostly of species never before figured, ex- 

 cepting, possibly, a few from shriveled alcoholic specimens. 



In addition to the biological researches, attention was paid to ques- 

 tions connected with the physics of the deep seas, this branch of the 

 work being more particularly under the direction of Captain Beards- 

 lee, the commander of the steamer. These consisted of a determina- 

 tion of the temperature of the surface-, median-, and bottom-water, at 

 numerous localities, and a daily record at the anchorage of the steamer 

 off Peak's Island. Specimens of the water were also brought up from 

 various depths and secured in well-sealed bottles for examination as to 

 specific gravity, chemical composition, and gaseous constituents. 



As on previous occasions, the occasion was made use of by some of 

 the associates of the Commission and its visitors, to secure specimens for 

 various public museums, principally those of colleges, among others an 

 extensive collection was gathered by Dr. Holder for the American Muse- 

 um of Natural History, Central Park, New York. After the collections 

 have been thoroughly worked up a distribution of duplicates will be 

 made from the stock reserved by the Commission. 



Among the numerous visitors to the headquarters of the commission 

 during its sojourn at Peak's Island, some of them members of the 

 American Association for the Advancement of Science, attending its 

 meeting at Portland, were Dr. J. W. Dawson, of Montreal; Messrs. 

 Stilwell and Stanley, fish-commissioners of Maine ; Mr. C. G. Atkins, of 

 Bucksport ; J. W. Milner, of Waukegau, 111. ; Professor Atwater, of Mid- 

 dletown, Conn. ; Prof. Joseph Henry ; Captain Walker, United States 

 Navy ; Mr. E. B. Elliot ; Dr. T. M. Brewer, of Boston ; J. W. Harper, 

 of New York, and many others. Mr. W. C. Wyckoff, of the New York 

 Tribune, spent much time on the island in making himself familiar with 

 the operations of the Commission, embodying the results of his inqui- 

 ries in a series of illustrated letters published by the Tribune in connec- 

 tion with the report of the proceedings of the American Association as 

 one of its " lecture extras." 



The Secretary of the Navy also visited the station, and spent several 

 days in examining the operations of the Commission. 



As already mentioned, the success of the operations of the season of 

 1873 was very greatly facilitated by the service of the Blue Light and her 

 force. Special assistance was found in the steam-windlass for hoisting 

 the dredges and trawls; besides saving labor, this permitted more fre- 

 quent hauls in each day's excursion. 



All the known forms of apparatus for deep-sea research were tried by 

 the commission, including a full series of that used on the Porcupine 



