XIV EEPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



napolis ; Prof. F. W. Putnam, of Salem ; General A. B. Eaton, Dr. Theo- 

 dore Gill, and Dr. E. Bessels, of Washington ; Mr. W. C. Wyckoff, and 

 Dr. J. B. Holder, of New York ; Mr. O. S. Westcott, of Chicago ; Prof. 

 J. Hammond Trumbull, and Dr. W. O. Ayres, of Hartford; Mr. W. T. 

 Parker, and M. W. Humphrey, of West Meriden, Conn. 



The State fish commissioners, or persons specially interested in fish-cul- 

 ture, visiting the station during the summer, were Messrs. Alfred Eead, 

 jr., Newton Dexter, and J. Barden, of Rhode Island ; Dr. M. C. Ed- 

 munds, of Vermont ; Dr. W. W. Fletcher, of New Hampshire ; G. C. 

 Anderson, of New Jersey ; Mr. J. W. Milner, Fred Mather, A. A. An- 

 derson, and C. D. Griswold, of the United States Fish Commission. 



The results of Professor Verrill's labors, and those of his associates 

 in the department of marine natural history and plants, will be fur- 

 nished in a special report; although it may be proper here to state that 

 over one hundred species of invertebrates, new to the fauna of New 

 England, were secured, most of them northern species, and many unde- 

 scribed. 



The principal localities over which dredgings were made were Fish- 

 er's Island Sound ; Block Island Sound ; off Block Island and south of 

 Montauk Point; the eastern part of Long Island Sound; from Fisher's 

 Island and Gardiner's Island to the mouth of the Connecticut River; 

 the shallow waters in the harbors and estuaries near Noank ; Gardiner's 

 Bay, Long Island ; Great Peconic and Little Peconic Bays and Green- 

 port Harbor, Long Island. These latter localities showed temperatures 

 much higher than the others, and furnished correspondingly southern 

 types of animal life. 



It was clearly shown by the investigations of the Commission that 

 there is a very decided flow of cold currents through Fisher's Island 

 Sound and Block Island Sound into Long Island Sound, and along the 

 deeper parts of the latter for a great distance, especially toward the 

 southern and deeper side. The influence of this cold current is very 

 apparent as far west as New Haven in the deeper parts of the sound. 

 According to Professor Verrill its flowing into Long Island Sound is 

 due largely to the influence of the tidal currents modified by the local 

 wind-currents. On the other hand, the much higher temperature of 

 such inclosed localities as the Peconic Bays may be safely attributed to 

 the direct heat of the sun over a broad expanse of shallow water, from 

 which the cold currents are excluded. 



As in previous years assistance was rendered by the Coast Survey in 

 carrying on operations at distances remote from the coast, and which 

 the Blue Light was not suited to reach. A part of the month of Sep- 

 tember was occupied by the steamer Bache, under command of Captain 

 Piatt, in dredging operations off the coast of Maine. The scientific 

 work was in charge of Dr. A. S. Packard, assisted by Mr. C. Cook and 

 Mr. Robert Rathburu. Dredgings at about forty stations were made off 

 the coasts of Maine and New Hampshire, at various depths, down to 



