CONTENTS XIII 



Chapter — Continued 



XVI. Tunicates and lancelets. P«Be 



TheTtinicataof the Gulf of Mexico. By Willard G. Van Name 495 



Ascidian fauna of the Gulf of Mexico 495 



The pelagic Tunicata 496 



Bibliography 497 



The lancelets. Branchiostomidae. By Joel W. Hedgpeth 499 



XVII. Fishes and sea turtles. 



The origin, relationships, and geographical distribution of the marine fishes 



of the Gulf of Mexico. By Luis Rene Rivas 503 



Shore fishes 504 



Pelagic fishes 505 



Deep sea fishes 505 



Literature cited 505 



Biology of the commercial fishes of the Gulf of Mexico. By George A. 



Rounsefell 507 



Taxonomy and distribution of sea turtles. By F. G. Walton Smith 513 



Family Cheloniidae 513 



Family Dermochelidae 513 



Key to the Gulf of Mexico sea turtles 514 



Distribution in the Gulf of Mexico 515 



Bibliography 515 



XVIII. The birds of the Gulf of Mexico. By George H. Lowery, Jr., and Robert 



J. Newman 519 



Offshore birds 520 



Birds of the coast 526 



Coastal breeding birds 529 



Regular visitants on the coast 530 



Visitants to coast not of regular annual occurrence 532 



Land birds over the open Gulf 535 



Literature cited 538 



XIX. Mammals of the Gulf of Mexico. By Gordon Gunter 543 



Pinnipedia 543 



Sirenia 543 



Cetacea 545 



General information 545 



Cetaceans of the Gulf of Mexico 546 



Odontoceti. Toothed whales 546 



Mysticeti. Baleen whales 550 



Literature cited 550 



XX. Pollution of water. 



Aspects of water pollution in the coastal area of the Gulf of Mexico. Pre- 

 pared in the Division of Water Pollution Control, and Shellfish Branch, 

 Division of Sanitation, Public Health Service, U. S. Department of 



Health, Education and Welfare 555 



Nature of pollution affecting the Gulf waters 555 



Water pollution control agencies, programs, and laws 556 



Florida 557 



Alabama 557 



Mississippi 557 



Louisiana 557 



Texas 557 



Federal-State shellfish control program 557 



Summary of water pollution data 558 



Damages to resources caused by pollution 561 



Lower Florida area 564 



Peace River area 564 



Tampa Bay area 564 



Withlacoochee River area 565 



