INTRODUCTIOlSr. xi 



The greatest interest attached to this exploration, there is no other 

 oceanic I'eorion situated at so s-reat a distance from a continental area and 



O O 



interrupted by so few ishxnds. The eastern tropical Pacific extends south 

 from a line between Acapulco and the Galapagos, and to Cape San Fran- 

 cisco as a northern boundary, to a distance of over 3000 miles as far as 

 the latitude of Manga Reva, Easter Island, and a point north of Valparaiso ; 

 and the distance of Manga Reva fi'om the South American coast is fully 

 3500 miles, with nothing to break this vast expanse of water. 



The investigation of this region promised interesting results and valuable 

 data regarding the extension of an abyssal oceanic fauna far from shore and 

 its dependence upon the pelagic food carried by tlie great oceanic currents. 



The " Albatross," under command of Lieut.-Commander L. M. Garrett, 

 U. S. N., left San Francisco on the 6th of October and arrived at Panama the 

 22d. On her way along the coast Professor C. A. Kofoid took advantage of 

 the opportunity for making surface hauls with the tow-nets, as well as 

 vertical hauls, generally to a depth of 300 fathoms. A large amount of 

 pelagic material was thus collected, not at a great distance from the coast, 

 however. Off Mariato Point the " Albatross" made two hauls in the vicinity 

 of the stations where in 1891 she found " modern green sand," in 555 and 

 782 fathoms.* It was interesting to find the green sand again, as the speci- 

 mens collected in 1891 were lost in transit to Washington. I was fortunate 

 in having as assistant for this trip Professor Kofoid, who has had great 

 experience in studying the Protozoa both in fresh water and at sea. He 

 was given charge of the collection of Radiolarians and Diatoms, and of 

 other minute pelagic organisms ; and he will prepare a report on the 

 results of that branch of the expedition. 



It will be interesting to compare the pelagic fauna at intermediate 

 depths collected along the coast from San Francisco to Panama with that 

 of the Eastern Pacific. A glance at the preliminary records of that line 

 shows the great abundance along the continental area of the embryos of 

 littoral types of Echinoderms, of Lamellibranchs, GasterojDods, Acalephs, 

 Crustacea, Fishes, and others mixed with Dinoflagellates, Radiolarians, 

 Tintiunids, Globigerince, and pelagic types of Copepods, Amphipods, 

 Tunicates, Ostracods, Annelids, Sagittaj, Pteropods, Cephalopods, Acalephs, 

 and Fishes. The oceanic lines were marked for the total absence of littoi'al 

 embryos. 



1 Stations 3357, 3358, Bull. M. C. Z. XXIII, No. 1, p. 5, 1892. 



