234 MARINE BIOLOGICAL LABORATORY. 



Albatross deserves an honorable place in connection 

 with this work. There is, however, room for the more 

 careful study of the relations of these currents, their 

 changes under various meteorological conditions, and 

 their effect upon the distribution of marine life. This 

 has been the problem upon which we have been working 

 for the past two seasons. 



Let me now give a short outline of the course of a 

 part of the North Atlantic currents. About two or 

 three hundred miles west of the coast of Africa we find 

 the first indications of the Equatorial current; this 

 passes westward to the neighborhood of Cape St. 

 Roque, where it divides, the portion in which we are 

 interested passing northward. When this branch reaches 

 the Windward Islands, it again divides, a part known as 

 the Antilles current passing up to the eastward of these 

 Islands ; the main portion, however, under the name of the 

 Carib current, passes westward between them. At this 

 point Bartlett speaks of it not as a mere stream but a 

 sea in motion. When this body of water reaches the 

 straits between Yucatan and Cuba, its width is decreased 

 to one-seventh of its former size, and its velocity doubled. 

 At this point a small arm passes into the Gulf of Mexico, 

 but the main current is deflected to the eastward by the 

 banks to the north of Yucatan and passes out between 

 Florida and Cuba as the Gulf Stream or Florida current. 



The followins: table will irive a more concise view of 

 the character of the stream from this place onward and 

 serve to give point to our discussion of it : — 



