INVESTIGATIONS OF THE ALBATROSS. 213 



September 1 was an nuusually clear day, and the sea was eompara- 

 tively sniootli. The time was spent on Heceta Bank and vicinity, many 

 sonnding's being' taken to determine the extent of the 40-fathom patch. 

 The beam trawl was nsed successfully, although the bottom was rough, 

 and when it was too rocky for the trawl the tangles were brought into 

 requisition. Boats were lowered and hand lines used on different i^arts 

 of the bank. The result of the day's operations may be stated as fol- 

 lows : The area of the 40-fathom patch on Heceta Bank is very small. 

 Beam trawl and trawl-line fishing are impracticable on the rougher 

 portions of the bank. Hand lines from boats will meet with the best 

 results. Fishes and invertebrates were almost identical with those 

 taken last season, but dogfish had not reached the bank in great num- 

 bers. The list of food-fishes will be found in the table of fishing 

 stations. 



An interesting haul of the beam trawl was made after dark in 93 

 fathoms, green mud, a few. miles inshore of the bank. One hundred 

 flounders were taken, representing four species; and also large num- 

 bers of rock-cod, one black-cod, one cultus cod, and several species 

 of small fish. Holothurians and other invertebrates were found in large 

 numbers. In a subsequent haul in 01 fathoms, green mud and sand, 

 made between S and 9 i>. ni., 200 flounders were taken, besides other 

 species. Considering the size of the trawl (11 feet beam) and the dura- 

 tion of the haul, which did not exceed 20 minutes, it must be conceded 

 that the region is rich in the various species of flatfishes and rock-cod. 



September 2 and 3 were spent in the examination of the region over 

 which we had recently sounded. The beam trawl and hand lines were 

 used, the different species of flatfish, rock-cod, etc., being found gen- 

 erally distributed along tlie coast. There was a uniform bottom of fine 

 gray sand to a depth of about 40 fathoms, when green mud l)egan to 

 show, increasing in iiroportiou until at 00 fathoms there was but little 

 sand. One excex)tion to the uniform character of bottom was a small 

 bank or rocky patch lying SSW. r|: W. magnetic, 19 miles from Yaquina 

 li gilt-house. The least water found was 42 fathoms, clay ami mud bot- 

 tom, with frequent rocky or stony patches, covering an area of about 

 40 square miles. Several s])ecimens of the rocks were brought up in 

 the ])eam trawl — water- worn bowlders of blue limestone, weighing from 

 50 to 200 pounds, bearing evidence of drift deposit. The entire surface 

 of the stones was honeycombed by boreivs and covered with a mass of 

 life, including small cup corals, sponges, trachiopods, annelids, mol- 

 lusks, ophiurans, etc. The weather was very boisterous during our 

 exifloration of the bank, which inx'vented a satisfactory examinntion 

 regarding its fish life, but the various species of rock-cod will doubtless 

 be found th(n'e in large numbers. 



Wind and sea in(aeased during the 3d, until it became too rough to 

 continue work, and as our coal was getting short M'^e decided to go to 

 Astoria for a supply. Slow progress was made during tlie night, steam- 



