384 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1889. 



University, Galesburg, Illinois ; Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical 

 College, Blacksburg, Virginia ; East Maine Conference Seminary, Bucks- 

 port, Maine; Rutger's College, New Brunswick, New Jersey; High 

 School, Stamford, Connecticut; High School, Galesburg, Illinois; Mari- 

 etta College, Marietta, Ohio; Fisk University, Nashville, Tennessee; 

 Baird College, Cliuton, Missouri; Simpson College, Indianola, Iowa. 



In addition to the regular sets of duplicates, special collections were 

 sent out as follows: Small lots of unmounted foraminifera to Hills- 

 daleCollege, Hillsdale, Michigan ; to E. H. Galway, Washington, District 

 of Columbia; and to George S. Lewis, jr., Springfield, Massachusetts; 

 one specimen of Geryon quinquedens Smith to A. Milne-Edwards, Paris, 

 France; specimens of seven species of Atlantic coast actinians to Prof. 

 J. Playfair McMurrich for special study. 



No field work yielding results of interest to this department was 

 conducted during the year under the auspices of the Museum, but it 

 seems advisable to refer briefly to the mariue explorations of the Fish 

 Commission, as lias been done in previous reports, for the reason that 

 the materials obtained by that means will sooner or later be represented 

 in the Museum. The Albatross left San Francisco July 4, 1888, on her 

 first cruise to the Alaskan fishing grounds. Work was begun in the 

 vicinity of the island of Uualashka, at the eastern end of the Aleutian 

 chain, and carried thence eastward to the reported position of Pamplona 

 Rocks, south of Prince William's Sound. Five principal fishing banks 

 were developed in that region, all lying on the submerged continental 

 plateau, and extending to its abrupt outer edge. The names of the 

 banks are as follows : Davidson Bank, Saunakh Bank, Shumagin Bank, 

 Albatross Bank, and Portlock Bank. Many dredge hauls, chiefly with 

 the beam-trawl, were made over this area in different depths of water, 

 and much shore collecting was also done on the adjacent islands and 

 main-land. Leaving this region, a line of sounding and dredging stations 

 was carried down the coast to the northern end of Vancouver's Island, 

 whence the steamer proceeded through the inland passage to Paget 

 Sound, dredging at intervals on the way. A month was subsequently 

 spent on the outer coast of Washington and Oregon, the cruise termi- 

 nating at San Francisco in October. The total number of hauls made 

 with the dredge and beam-trawl was fifty, the depth of water ranging 

 from 21 to 1,569 fathoms. In January, the Albatross started on a second 

 cruise, this time to the coast of southern and Lower California, and 

 the Gulf of California. Several months were spent in this region, 

 and one hundred and fifty-five dredgings were made in depths of 5 

 to 1,005 fathoms. The collections obtained on these two trips are very 

 large ; they have been received in Washington by the Fish Commission, 

 and are partly in course of elaboration . Lieut. Commander Z. L. Tanner 

 has continued in command of the steamer during the year, with Mr. 

 Charles H. Townseud as naturalist and Mr. A. B.Alexander as fishery 

 expert. On the second cruise. Prof, Charles H. Gilbert, of the Uuiver- 



