174 BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 



A similar estimate for the fishes indicates the discovery of at least 

 one hundred species on the Eastern Atlantic coast within ten years; half 

 of these are new to science. Forty species have been added to the 

 fauna north of Cape Cod; sixteen of these are new and have been found 

 within three years; seventeen have been described as new from the Gulf 

 of Mexico; sixty, and more, have been added upon the West coast. 

 The results of the summers' campaigns are worked in winter in the Pea- 

 body Museum of Yale College, under the direction of Professor Verrill, 

 and by the specialists of the National Museum. 



One of the important features of the work is the preparation of life 

 histories of the useful marine animals of the country, and great quanti- 

 ties of material have been* accumulated relating to almost every species. 

 A portion of this has been published, more or less complete biographical 

 monographs having been printed on the bluefish, the scup, the menhaden, 

 the salmon, and the whitefish, and others are nearly ready. 



Another monograph which may be referred to in this connection is 

 that of Mr. Starbuck on the whale fishery, giving its history from the 

 earliest settlement of North America. 



The temperature of the water in its relation to the movements of fish 

 has from the first received special attention. Observations are made 

 regularly during the summer work, and at the various hatching stations. 

 At the instance of the Commissioner, an extensive series of obervations 

 have for several years been made under the direction of the Chief Signal 

 Officer of the Army, at light-houses, light-ships, life-saving and signal 

 stations, carefully chosen, along the whole coast. This year thirty or 

 more fishing schooners and steamers are carrying thermometers to 

 record temperatures upon the fishing grounds, a journal of the move- 

 ments of the fish being kept at the same time. One practical result of 

 the study of these observations has been the demonstration of the cause 

 of the failure of the menhaden fisheries on the coast of Maine in 1870 — 

 a failure on account of which nearly 2,000 persons were thrown out of 

 employment. 



Another important series of investigations carried on by Commander 

 Beardsley, of the Navy, shows the error of the ordinary manner of using 

 the Casella-Miller deep-sea thermometer; still another series made by 

 Dr.*Kidder, of the Navy, and to be carried out in future, had for its object 

 the determination of the temperature of the blood of marine animals. 



Observations have also been made by Mr. Milner upon the influence 

 of a change from sea water into fresh water and from fresh water into sea 

 water upon the young of different fishes. 



Mr. II. J. Pice carried on series of studies upon the effect of cold in 

 retarding the development of incubating fish eggs. 



A series of analyses have been made by Professor Atwater to deter- 

 mine the chemical composition and nutritive value offish as compared 

 with other articles of food. This investigation is still in progress. 



