72 KEPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 



Under the bead of " inquiry " the summers of successive years have been 

 spent at various stations from the Bay of Fundy to Long Island Sound, 

 and the information obtained has been published in the annual reports 

 of the Fish Commission. The information obtained by this commission 

 was of great importance to the United States Government at the Halifax 

 convention. 



For the work of 1879, Provincetown, at the extreme end of Cape Cod, 

 was selected as the central station, and with the assistance of the steamer 

 "Speedwell," under the command of Capt. Z. L. Tanner, a successful 

 investigation was prosecuted in regard to the natural history and 

 physics of the adjacent seas. The steamer, with its crew, were furnished 

 by lion. II. W. Thompson, Secretary of the Navy, in accordance with 

 the law of Congress to that effect. It may not be out of place to men- 

 tion in this connection that of the departments of the government that 

 of the Navy has been especially liberal in its construction of the law, and 

 has rendered the greatest possible aid in the work of the Commission. 



The labors of the commission in 1879 were made directly conducive 

 to the success of the efforts in connection with the census, as already 

 referred to. 



An incident of the summer's work was, as before, the collection of 

 vast numbers of specimens of marine animals, a full series of which will 

 be reserved for the National Museum, and the duplicates arranged for 

 distribution to various educational establishments throughout the conn- 

 try. At the present time, of all the means of instruction in general 

 natural history — a subject attracting much attention in schools and 

 colleges — there arc none more difficult to obtain than objects illustrating 

 the botany and zoology of the ocean. The expense of the apparatus 

 for securing such specimens is far beyond anything but what the most 

 favored persons can command. On this account it was thought proper 

 to do the work as far as possible for the whole country as well as for 

 the National Museum, and numerous objects of this kind have been 

 obtained and are now being properly arranged and packed under com- 

 petent direction for distribution. Many sets of these will be in this way 

 scattered throughout the country, to the very great advantage of science. 



One material result of the work of the past summer has been the 

 discovery of an entirely new food-iish off the coast, both genus and 

 species being previously unknown to science. This is the Lopkolatilus 

 clttimcleontieeps, or tile-fish. A banK where this fish is found was dis- 

 covered near Nomairs Land, where it can be taken in any desired quan- 

 tity; some specimens obtained weighing as much as ninety pounds. 

 As the fish has very much the same general food characteristics as the 

 cod, there is reason to believe that in time it will become an imporant 

 article of trade. , 



A great extension was also established in the distribution of the new 

 fish discovered in June, 1877, off the coast of Gloucester, namely, the 

 pole flounder, or Glyptoccphalus cynoglossus. This is a species of flat-fish, 



