DEPARTMENT OF MARINE BIOLOGY. 



223 



corals, and dredging to ascertain the lower bathymetric limit of the species 

 that live on the reefs. ^ 



Of the 171 colonies measured in 1912, 135 were artificially planted and 36 

 were living naturally attached. Of the planted colonies 115 were remeasured 

 in 1914, of which 11 were not thriving, and 34 of those naturally attached. 

 Therefore, of 171 colonies there were 138 which gave satisfactory data on 

 growth-rate for a two-year period. 



The Andros Island barrier reef was inspected from High Cay to Middle 

 High Cay, or (as it is locally known) Little Golding Cay, and nearly a week was 

 spent in the lagoon channel off Cocoanut Point. No special addition was 

 made to the information obtained in 1912 on the locus of the different species 

 of corals, but the basis for discussing the subject was extended. Dr. Mayer 

 employed ]\Ir. J. A. Kemp, of Nassau, to collect in the vicinity of Cocoanut 

 Point, and although high winds prevented work on the seaward face of the 

 barrier, suites of specimens representing about 30 species of corals were 

 obtained. Several additions were made to the list of species previously 

 obtained in the vicinity of South Bight, while a few forms obtained at the latter 

 locality were not collected at the former. The number of Bahama shoal-water 

 species represented by the present available collections is about 35, which is 

 probably near the limit of the number that occurs there. There should be a 

 few more than 40 species. Collections in the U. S. National Museum from 

 Florida, and from the Bermudas, Cuba, Porto Rico, and other West Indian 

 localities, can be utilized in extending the account of the west Atlantic shoal- 

 water coral fauna. 



Dredging to ascertain the lower bathymetric limit of the shoal- water species 

 was done off Nassau, in water from 4 to 20 fathoms in depth; 6 of 12 hauls were 

 successful. The results were as follows: 



List of corals dredged off Nassau, Bahamas. 



The first number of the couples is the least and the second the greatest 

 depth recorded during the haul. No corals were obtained by a haul in water 

 20 fathoms deep. 



FLORIDA. 



The following list of desiderata for the completion of the program laid out 

 for the study of the Florida corals was published in the Year Book for 1913, 

 p. 183: (1) to continue the growth observations for at least two more seasons; 

 (2) to complete the inspection of the Tortugas area for the location of the 

 reefs, coral patches, etc.; (3) to dredge from shoal water to a depth of 50 

 fathoms, take temperature readings, and collect bottom samples; (4) to con- 

 duct experiments on the minimum and maximum salinity (amount of dilution 

 and ■concentration of sea- water) corals will endure ; (6) to conduct additional 



^The results of the geologic investigations are given under a separate title, which follows. 



