REPORT ON NATIONAL MUSEUM. 255 



Ej)ialtu8, Calappa, Hepatus, and Eandallia. The Crustacea remaining 

 to the Museum from the Wilkes United States Exploring Expedition 

 and the North Pacific Exploring Expedition were also gone over in the 

 same manner. The former collection now contains only 51 species, and 

 the latter 34 species, out of many hundreds destroyed by the Chicago 

 fire of 1872. 



During June, the entire collection of alcoholics was overhauled and 

 placed in safety for at least another year, and the collecting outfit, stored 

 in the armory, was put in order and packed for shipment to Wood's Holl. 

 Much time was also spent in correcting the proof sheets of a report on 

 the natural history of economic marine invertebrates for the Fishery 

 quarto report. 



From July 1 until about the middle of October, the Curator was at 

 Wood's Holl, Mass., assisting in the explorations of the U. S. Fish Com- 

 mission. This time was mainly occupied in collecting and studying the 

 parasitic Copepoda of that region, a common group of crustacean para- 

 sites, occurring principally upon the exterior surface and the gills of 

 fishes. A number of new species were obtained and several figured. 

 The collection of parasitic Copepoda in the Museum is now quite large 

 and in a good state of preservation. An account of the summer's work 

 of the Fish Commission would be out of place in this connection, and 

 reference need only be made to some of the results by which the Museum 

 has already been enriched, and the disposition made of the remainder 

 of the materials collected. Deep-sea dredging was carried on mainly by 

 the new steamer "Albatross," although a few short trips were also made 

 by the steamer " Fish Hawk." The cruises of the " Albatross" covered 

 a wide area, extending from the eastern slope of George's Bank west- 

 ward to near New York, and southward at least one -third the distance 

 to Bermuda. The deepest haul was made in nearly 3,000 fathoms of 

 water with the common form of beam trawl, this being the greatest 

 depth in which the trawl has been used by any explorers. The total 

 number of casts made with the dredge and beam- trawl was 116. Mr. 

 James E. Benedict was in charge of the collecting of marine inverte- 

 brates on the "Albatross," and was assisted mainly by Mr. Sanderson 

 Smith, although other members of the party made frequent trips. 

 Prof. A. E. Verrill, of Yale College, had immediate charge of the explora- 

 tions and laboratory work, and was aided by nearly the same party as 

 in former years. Such specimens as it was possible to identify on the 

 spot, and which needed no further examination, including many dupli- 

 cates of deep-water species, were sent to the National Museum at the 

 close of the season. The collections of sponges and of parasitic cope- 

 pods were also sent to the same institution. The material belonging 

 to the following groups, and requiring further elaboration, were shipped 

 to New Haven : the Mollusca, Mulluscoida, Echinodermata, Anthozoa, 

 and Hydroida, for report from Professor Verrill, and the Crustacea for 

 report from Prof. S. I. Smith. The Foraminifera were referred to Prof. 



