DEPARTMENT OF MARINE BIOLOGY * 



Alfred G. Mayer, Director. 



In March, 1909, the Director went to Jamaica, visiting Kingston and Port 

 Antonio. The Scyphomedusse and Ctenophorae of the region were studied 

 and some general collecting was conducted in order to reveal the relative 

 merits of Jamaica and the Tortugas as centers for research in marine biology. 

 The coral reefs of Tortugas are far more extensive and better endowed with 

 life than are those of Jamaica, the climate is cooler and more healthful, and 

 the pelagic fauna of Tortugas is certainly as rich as that of Jamaica, if not 

 richer. On the other hand, the varied land fauna and flora of Jamaica set it 

 apart from Tortugas in its superiority, and there are also a few marine forms 

 to be had locally at Jamaica which do not exist at Tortugas ; so that for the 

 prosecution of certain special researches Jamaica affords facilities which are 

 probably unrivaled in the West Indies. The scientific success of every 

 marine laboratory is dependent upon the study of animals which may be ob- 

 tained in abundance in its immediate vicinity, and thus the local element is by 

 far the most important factor to be considered in the determination of the site 

 for a marine station. Judged in this wise, we have reason to congratulate 

 the Institution upon the selection of the Tortugas as the site for a station 

 from which to study the West Indian fauna. Dr. R. Hartmeyer, of Berlin, 

 who has collected extensively over the West Indies, speaks highly of the 

 richness of the Tortugas fauna in his recent paper "Die westindischen Korall- 

 enriffe und ihr Tierleben," in Meereskunde, Berlin, Jahrg. 3, Heft 2, 1909. 



The hull of the dory launch Porpoise having become relatively unseaworthy 

 through constant use for the past five years, it was deemed expedient to re- 

 place her by another boat, for upon collecting expeditions in the neighborhood 

 of Tortugas our vessels are often obliged to encounter heavy seas and sudden 

 squalls of tropical violence. Accordingly, a new launch, the Velella, was 

 made for the Laboratory by the Miami Yacht and Machine Company. This 

 new boat is 25 feet long and has a 12-horsepower, double-cylinder engine, so 

 that she is capable of making 9 miles an hour in smooth water and is one of 

 the most essential of the Laboratory vessels. The old launch Porpoise is 

 still in service for collecting trips in the immediate neighborhood of the 

 laboratory. 



A considerable addition was made to the eastern side of the Laboratory to 

 improve the sleeping accommodations and to cool the air which enters the 

 laboratory itself. In order still further to reduce the temperature, 10 tons 



* Situated at Tortugas, Florida. Grant No. 541. $15,000 for investigations and main- 

 tenance. (For previous reports see Year Books Nos. 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7.) 



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