692 



REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



was most plentiful. Not a few whales were noticed in these localities, 

 also a large number of sea-birds, and at a considerable distance from the 

 colst, near stations 75 and 76,* large brown spots could be observed in 

 the sea resembling extensive alg^-bottoms, which, l^^^^^^' ^l^'n 

 examination proved to be enormous masses ot closely packed food, on 

 which the Frocellaria glacialis, the constant companion of our voyage, 

 was feeding to its heart's content. It is evident that these enormous 

 masses of " food" had not come here accidentally, nor could it be sup- 

 posed that far out in the open sea the current alone could have done it. 

 It is much more probable that the schools of herring had chased it here, 

 and that under these brown spots there were dense masses o herrings^ 

 It was very unfortunate that unfavorable circumstances did not allow 

 the use of floating nets, by which the occurrence of the herring in the 

 open sea could easily Lave been proved. It is to be hoped, however, 

 that the next exhibition will be more successful as regards the weather 

 and that the herring question will be made more of an objective point, 

 all the more as the expedition will go farther north, i. e., nearer those 

 waters which Professor Sars considers the home of the spring-herring 

 and the great-herring. 



IV. 



PRELIMINARY REPORT ON THE ZOOLOGICAL OBSERVA- 



TIONS MADE DURING THE SECOND NORWEGIAN POLAR 



EXPEDITION OF 1877. 



The expedition left Bergen on the llfch of June and returned to that 

 place on the 23d of August, and therefore lasted about three months. 

 Its outfit was about the same as during the preceding year The zo- 

 ological personnel was also the same, with the sole exception that Dr. G. 

 A. Hansen accompanied the expedition as passenger, and during the 

 first month also as zoologist instead of Mr. H. Friele, who was detained 

 by his business and only joined at Tromso. 



Different from last year, the weather was nearly all the time unusually 

 calm, with northerly wind and a comparatively smooth sea, so that even 

 the finest microscopic observations could be made on board. In conse- 

 quence of the favorable weather the number of working-days was a 

 great deal larger than last year, and the number of stations, which had 

 been ninety-five last year, was almost twice as large. 



This expedition investigated a considerable portion of the Northern 

 Sea, viz, from the height of the Vigten Islands (65° northern latitude), 

 which were reached last year, as far north as 71^° northern latitude, 

 and as far west as ll^o western longitude. Eleven different cross-lines 

 were followed in different heights , and some of them a very considerable 



* Station 75 : Latitude 64° 47.2' ; longitude 7° 13' east of Greenwich. Station 76 : 

 Latitude 04° 47.4'; longitude 7^^ 3.G' east of Greenwich. 



