BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 373 



^nd some. dead sliells. Previous to tliis a haul had been made with 

 the Blake dredge some 6 or 7 miles in a northeasterly direction, just 

 off the edge of Green Bank, but no tishing lines were put out. The 

 haul at this last position (station 2460) consisted of a few crabs, shrimp, 

 starfish, small stones, sea-urchins, and dead shells. 



At station 2462 (latitude 45° 45' 30", longitude 54° 20' 30") eight 

 hand-lines were put out, but not a single fish was caught. Failing to 

 take any fish in a reasonable length of tim^, a dredging was made, with 

 practically the same result as that obtained at the prev'ious station. 

 The most remarkable catch made by the dredge was pieces of 2 fresh 

 lant {Ammodytes americanus) which had been .in some manner inter- 

 cepted by the dredge. 



About 5 or 6 miles fartlier to the westward, at station 2463 (latitude 

 45° 44', longitude 54^ 27'), the hand-lines were again baited and put out 

 in a depth of 45 fathoms, the result being precisely the same as at the 

 two previous stations. A haul was made at this position with the ship's 

 dredge. Its contents indicated that considerable material existed on 

 the bottom which might serve as food for the Gadidce, and it is some- 

 what remarkable that cod were not found in this region. Among other 

 things the dredge brought up many hermit and spiny crabs, sea-urchins, 

 starfish, and sea-anemones. 



At station 2i64 (latitude 45° 40', longitude 54^ 41') another trial for 

 fish was made witli hand-lines, in 41 fathoms, but none were taken. The 

 dredge was put out, but caught on a rocky bottom and was so badly 

 torn that very little material, save a few crabs and dead shells, was 

 taken in it. At the two succeeding stations hauls were made with the 

 ship's dredge, but no fishing-lines were put out.. 



At station 2465 there were obtained several ophiurans, sand-dollars 

 in abundance, a few hermit and spider crabs, and some stones. 



At station 2466 (latitude 45° 29', longitude 55° 24'), in a depth of 67 

 fathoms, a considerable quantity of material was obtained in the dredge 

 which indicated good feeding bottom for fish. Among these were a few 

 small fish, hermit and spiny crabs, many brittle-stars or ophiurans, 

 spiny sea-urchins, sponges, sea-anemones, starfish, soft coral, bryozoa, 

 hydroids, and large numbers of live mollusks, chiefly the Iceland scal- 

 lop. This position was in what is termed the " gully" between Green 

 Bank and Saint Peter's Bank. 



At station 2467, in 38 fathoms, on the southeastern side of Saint Peter's 

 Bank (latitude 45^ 23' north, longitude 55^ 41' west), the dredge con- 

 tained several holothurians, sand-dollars, spider and hermit crabs, spiny 

 sea-urchins, and shells. Eight hand-lines were put out at this position 

 and 13 codfish were caught in about 20 minutes. These fish were of 

 rather small size, about three-quarters of them not being large enough 

 to cull as "large fish" in the American markets. These were mostly 

 males, with their spermaries undeveloped. The ovaries of the female 

 fish were also very small. I opened their stomachs and took 13 whole, 



