24 REPOET OF THE SECRETARY. 



ceived at the Institution and will shortly be made the subject of special 

 investigation on the part of its specialists. 



Mr. F. A. Ober, whose important researches into the natural history 

 and ethnology of numerous islands in the West Indies have been referred 

 to in previous reports, made an expedition to that group of islands , 

 during the past summer, in connection with certain business enteri)rises. 

 As before, he devoted such of his time as he could spare to scientific 

 inquiry, and secured an excellent series of birds from several of the 

 islands not previously visited. These have been duly received and 

 entered in the catalogue of the Museuin, making its series of West 

 Indian birds by far the most complete of any in existence. It is pro- 

 posed at no distant time to prepare a catalogue of the West Indian birds 

 in the ISTational Museum, with appropriate notes. 



Mr. Ober also secured important collections of reptiles, fishes, mammals, 

 and objects of archeology for the Ifational Museum. 



In December, 1879, Prof. David S. Jordan, of the Indiana TJniversity, 

 as assistant to the United States Fish Commission and si)ecial agent 

 of the Census Department, was sent to the Pacific coast to investigate 

 the fishes and fisheries of that region. Prof. Charles H. Gilbert; of the 

 same institution, accompanied him as assistant. These gentlemen re- 

 paired at once to San Diego, Cal., where they began work January 

 1, 1880. Statistics were obtained at each of the fishing townt^, and 

 large collections of fishes were made in turn at San Diego, San Pedro, 

 Santa Barbara, Monterey, Soquel, and San Francisco. The collection 

 obtained in Monterey Bay was especially extensive, comprising nearly 

 one hundred and fifty species. A stay of several weeks was made' 

 in San Francisco, after which, about May 1, Professors Jordan and 

 Gilbert left for Astoria, Greg. ; here studies were made of the "spring- 

 runs" of salmon, which, supplemented by Professor Gilbert's subse- 

 quent studies of the "fall runs" in the various rivers, have thrown much 

 light on this intricate subject. Later a visit was made to Puget Sound, 

 and considerable collections were obtained at Seattle, Neali Bay, Vic- 

 toria, and New Westminster. On June 15, the party returned to Asto- 

 ria and soon after to San Francisco. The chief i)orts south of San Fran- 

 cisco were again visited and large collections made. 



About September 1, Professor Jordan returned eastward, sto])ping at 

 Lake Tahoe, Utah Lake, and Burlington, Iowa, for the purpose of study- 

 ing the fisheries of these regions. Professor Gilbert returned to the Co- 

 lumbia and Puget Sound to iuA^estigate the fall runs of salmon. In Novem- 

 ber he left San Francisco for Mazatlan, Panama, and Aspinwall, at each 

 of which places considerable time was spent and large collections made. 



The chief results of the expedition may be here briefly summarized. 



1. The collection of statistics of the various fisheries along the coast. 



2. The discovery of about 50 species new to science on our Pacific 

 coast, and of nearly as many more on the coasts of Mexico and Central 

 America. 



