BIOLOGY, MARINE — MAYER. 10/ 



Stream in the neighborhood of Miami. Professor Brooks also collected 

 specimens in the Everglades which have enabled him and his assistant, 

 Mr. B. McGlone, to determine that the lung of Ampullaria is secondarily 

 acquired, and not derived from the lung of terrestrial pulmonates. The 

 details of this discovery are recorded in Professor Brooks's preliminary 

 report, here published. 



After about one week's exploration at Miami, the Physalia sailed for 

 the Tortugas, where she was employed throughout the season in making 

 surface hauls and dredges. Mr. Kellner discovered a remarkable "calm 

 streak" extending along the 6-fathom line on the westward side of Log- 

 gerhead Key, and examinations of this region on calm days yielded a 

 wonderful variety of new and rare Siphonophorae, Ctenophorse, pelagic, 

 and Medusae, as well as a good collection of pelagic Tunicates. 



Early in the calm mornings, when the ocean was unrippled, hosts of 

 graceful Siphonophorae and delicate Ctenophorse came up out of the 

 depths to the quiet surface, and in fifteen years of study the writer has 

 never seen such opportunities for the collection of these remarkable 

 marine animals. 



Five heavy gales were encountered during the season. The first of 

 these came suddenly without barometric warning on the first day of our 

 arrival at Tortugas, before we could lay our ocean mooring, which is 

 necessary to secure the Physalia, as she must lie at anchor throughout the 

 season in an open roadstead with no protection save that afforded by a 

 deep-lying coral reef. The storm came with almost unprecedented sud- 

 denness, and the wind blew for more than six hours at the rate of over 

 60 miles an hour. Our kedged anchors were powerless to hold the 

 Physalia, and she slowly dragged until her stern touched the shore, while 

 our 22-foot dory launch was dashed open in the breakers. Fortunately 

 the wind then abated for a few minutes, and the Physalia was hauled off 

 without damage. The launch was repaired in the course of a few weeks 

 and is now a stronger and a better seaboat than ever before. Other 

 storms came later, one of them of such severity that nearly all of the 

 beacons in the lower part of the Hawk Channel were washed away, but 

 our strong moorings and opportune retreats into Bird Key Harbor 

 enabled us to ride safely through every gale. 



Eight investigators studied at the laboratory during the season, and 

 every one returned north with health improved. Our facilities for trans- 

 portation afforded by the many boats in the service of the Department 

 now permit us to transport students at once from Key West to Tortugas ; 

 and thus they are not subjected to the menace occasioned by the de- 

 plorable sanitary condition of Key West. In the pure dustle'ss air of the 

 Tortugas, with its freedom from dangerous mosquitoes, nothing need be 

 feared, and it is significant that no infectious disease has ever developed 



