580 U. S. BUREAU OF FISHERIES 



the jrrowth, iiii<j:rati()iis, and habits of the .shrimp, as well as the de- 

 frree of injury to food and fjanie fishes resulting^ from the destruction 

 of immature fish by the shrimp trawlers in sounds and rivers. 



In Louisiana a carefully drafted statute approved July 11, 1930, 

 required the commissioner of conservation to create a bureau of 

 statistical and biological research and appro])riated the sum of 

 $50,000 to finance the compilation and study of scientific data con- 

 cerning the State's natural resources. Connnissioner Robert S. 

 Maestri has given effect t(^ this statute by setting aside a budget suffi- 

 cient for an immediate investigation of the shrimp, and plans are 

 being completed for a joint investigation with the U. S. Bureau of 

 FisherievS. 



ACTIVITIES OF THE FISHERIES BIOLOGICAL LABORATORY, BEAUFORT, N. C. 



The work of the Beaufort (N. C.) biological station is mentioned 

 in the sections of this report dealing with the investigations by the 

 bureau's staff of shore fishes, diamond-back terrapin culture, shell- 

 fish investigations, and stream-pollution studies. The facilities of 

 the station were made available to several independent investigators. 

 Prof. H. V. Wilson, of the University of North Carolina, engaged 

 in the study of the embryology of sponges. Mrs. Henry R. Fuller, 

 graduate student of the University of North Carolina, studied the 

 embryology and local distribution of certain annelids and sea urchins. 

 Miss Ezda Deviney, of the Florida State College for Women, experi- 

 mented with the regeneration of several species of ascidians from 

 cuttings of the adult animals. Dr. Hoyt S. Hopkins, of the New 

 York University, continued his studies of previous years concerning 

 the rate of growth of the hard clam {Venu.s tnercenaria) and also 

 the respiration of this mollusk and other bivalves of the vicinity. 

 Dr. W. C. George, of the University of North Carolina, continued 

 his observations of previous summers on ascidian blood and ])re- 

 pared a manuscript on this investigation. Prof. C. M. Child, of the 

 University of Chicago, performed some experiments during the win- 

 ter months on the physiological polarity and on the scale of organi- 

 zation on Tubularia and some other hydroids, and in sponges after 

 the dissociation of cells. Dr. L. G. Barth, National Research Fellow, 

 also working during the winter months, measured the electrical po- 

 tential differences of rec(mstituting pieces of the hydroid, Tubularia'. 

 Prof. Z. P. Metcalf, of North Carolina State College of Agriculture 

 and Engineering, made some observati(ms on the ecological relation- 

 ship of the animals inhabiting the sand dunes and flats of Bogue and 

 Shackleford banks. Dr. Bert Cunningham, of Duke University, 

 studied the relationship of temperature to the rate of growth of 

 diamond-back terrapin embi'vos, and he also secured some eggs with 

 embryos for future study. 



The facilities of the .station were also utilized by investigators of 

 the U. S. Chemical Warfare Service and of the U. S. Coast Guard 

 for testing samples of wood treated against marine borers. 



ICHTHYOLOGICAL STUDIES 



Over a period of a couple of years Dr. Anatasio Alfaro of the 

 National Museum of Costa Rica submitted small collections of fishes 

 from that country for identification. The determinations were made 



