BErORT OF DKPAKTMENT OF MARINE INVERTEBRATES. 197 

 THE U. S. FISH COMMISSION. 



A brief account of those explorations of the Fish Commission for 

 1884 which have been i)ro(luctive t)f valuable zoological results, now 

 or soon to be shared in by the National Museum, will not be out of 

 l)lace in this connection, although reference has already been made to 

 them under the accessions. 



The steamer Albatross, under command of Lieut. Commander Z. L. 

 Tanner, U. S. N., continued in active service during nearly the entire 

 year. From January to Mtiy she was detailed for sounding operations 

 in the Gulf of ^Mexico and Caribbean Sea, under the direction of the 

 Ilydrographic Bureau of the Navy Department, but was also able to 

 make many drcdgings, and visited several interesting ports, where the 

 naturalists occupied their time to good advantage. Mr. James E. Ben- 

 edict was the naturalist in charge, and was assisted by Mr. Willard 

 Nye, jr., of New Bedford, Mass., who volunteered his services. Sev- 

 eral of the officers also did eifective work in the collecting of specimens. 

 One of the most interesting localities visited was that directly off Ha- 

 vana, on the north side of Cuba, where Fentacrimis is known to occur 

 abundantly, and where numerous specimens of that curious animal 

 were obtained by means of the tangles, the bottom being too rough to 

 permit of the use of any other ai)pliance. Nearly all the other dredg- 

 iugs were made in the Caribbean Sea, and were distributed over many 

 parts of that important zoological region. Fifty-three dredgings were 

 made, in depths of 5 to 1,701 fathoms, 20 being in depths greater than 

 L'OO fathoms. The ports and islands visited, at Tvhich shore-collections 

 and shallow- water dredgings from a small boat were made, are as fol- 

 lows: Key West, Fla.; the island of St. Thomas; Jamaica; the island 

 of Old Providence, off the coast of Nicaragua; the island of Cura§ao, 

 otf the coast of Venezuela; the town of Sabanilla, United States of 

 Colombia, and San Antonio, Cuba. 



The zoological specimens obtained during this cruise were brought 

 directly to the National Museun), where they were sorted and cata- 

 logued. The Crustacea have been sent to Prof. S. I. Smith, of New 

 Haven, Conn,, who writes that they include many exceedingly interest- 

 ing forms. The Echini have been worked up by the curator, who will 

 soon report upon them in the Proceedings of the Museum. Of this 

 group 25 species were obtained, 9 being littoral forms and 16 from depths 

 of 25 to 1,030 fathoms. Mr. Benedict is studying the Annelids, but the 

 other portions of the collection have not yet been referred for examina- 

 tion, although Professor Verrill offers to report upon the Anthozoa, and 

 Prof. L. A. Lee upon the Foraminifera. 



In July the Albatross resumed her ex])lorations of the eastern coast, 

 which were C(mtinued until the latter part of Ootober. During this 

 time the headquarters of the Fish Commission were at Wood's HoU, 

 Mass., where a permanent summer station has been established. Suit- 

 able wharves and buildings to accommodate the investigating work of 



