466 BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 



Big-eyed herring taken in the Potomac. — On the 28th of Au- 

 gust, 1885, Mr. R. A. Golden exhibited at the National Museum a big- 

 eyed herring (Elops saurus) which had been taken near the mouth of 

 the Potomac Eiver. It weighed 3£ pounds. Being the first that he 

 had seen from these waters, he was unable to name it without assist- 

 ance. 



The Albatross work helpful to fishermen. — Captain Collins 

 writes from Gloucester, August 24, 1885, to say that the researches 

 made by the Albatross on its late cruise to the eastern fishing-grounds 

 are much appreciated by the New England fishermen. Capt. Thomas 

 Thompson, who is engaged in the fresh-halibut fishery, desiring to find 

 Hope Bank, was greatly aided by information obtained as to its locality 

 and the knowledge that there were about 2,000 fathoms of water where 

 Hope Bank had been located. But for this he would probably have 

 wasted three or four weeks in looking for it. 



The whale fishery. — Mr. James Temple. Brown, who has been 

 collecting information at New Bedford during the past few weeks, 

 states, under date of August 27, that the present arctic season opened 

 favorably, many of the vessels being in Behring Strait before the 

 whales made their appearance. One vessel had killed 9, another 8, 

 others 7 whales each. The tender of the arctic fleet arrived at San Fran- 

 cisco August 24, with 110,000 pounds of whalebone, valued at $2.75 per 

 pound. 



The American representation at the Naples Zoological 

 Station. — The representative from this country is Dr. Charles S. Dol- 

 ley, wild left the United States October 23, 18S4, for the purpose of en- 

 tering upon his work at Naples January 1, 1885. He was sent by the 

 University of Pennsylvania, and is the only American at present study- 

 ing at Naples, Williams College having relinquished the table formerly 

 occupied by Professor Clarke. 



• 



California salmon successful in Australia. — The Forest and 

 Stream, of January 8, 1885, says that owing to the persistent energy of 

 Sir Samuel Wilson, who has continued his efforts at introducing salmon 

 for a number of years, it is now believed that the introduction is suc- 

 cessful, a number of fish having lately been caught in the river Yarra- 

 Yarra near Melbourne, which are believed to be California salmon. 



Oyster culture in a wooden tank. — Mr. Fred Mather, writing 

 from Cold Spring Harbor, August 31, 1885, says : " I have made a suc- 

 cess of oyster culture in a wooden tank, 12 by 6 feet, with water pumped 

 from the harbor. I have sets on shells and gravel four weeks old that 

 are one eighth of an inch long. The experiments were made under the 

 direction of the New York oyster commissioner, Mr. E. G. Blackford." 



