FISHERY PUBLICATIONS OF THE UNITED STATES. 237 
During the two years the Commission steamer ‘ Albatross” was 
engaged in surveying the fishing-grounds off the Pacific coast of the 
United States, her work extending along the coasts of Washington, 
Oregon, and California, and over the shallow water area in the 
eastern part of the Behring Sea. In the early part of 1891 the 
“« Albatross ”’ was lent to Professor Alexander Agassiz for the purpose 
of a biological and physical exploration of the ocean and continental 
slope between the Galapages Islands on the south and the Gulf of 
California to the north, a region which had previously been but little 
examined, This expedition was very successful, important and 
extensive information having been obtained by its means. The 
results of the ordinary work of the “‘ Albatross” on the Pacific coast 
are described in Lieut.-Commander Tanner’s special report among 
the appendices in this volume. 
On the Atlantic coast the chief operations were conducted in the 
interest of the oyster industry. A complete survey was made of the 
coast waters of South Carolina, where the oysters were found to be 
all of the raccoon type, forming narrow ledges along the borders of 
the bays and the winding tidal channels between high and low water. 
It is suggested that the absence of oysters from the bottom below 
low water mark is due to the high specific gravity of the water, which 
prevents the spat from sinking below the surface. The raccoon 
oysters are useful as seed, improving in shape and flavour when trans- 
planted. The investigation to which the Commissioner here refers 
has been fully described in two elaborate papers by John D. Battle 
and Bashford Dean, published in the Bulletin, vol. x, in 1892. Mr. 
Battle’s paper contains the results of the hydrographic survey, and 
is illustrated by a number of charts showing the details of the 
observations made; while Mr. Dean describes the physical and bio- 
logical conditions affecting the life of the oyster. The Commissioner 
next mentions an investigation in the “‘ Fishhawk ”’ of the oyster beds 
of Maryland and Virginia in Chesapeake Bay, and of the beds in 
Long Island Sound. He refers to the journey of Mr. Bashford Dean 
to Hurope, undertaken for the purpose of studying the oyster industry 
in Kuropean countries. Many in this country who are interested in 
oyster-culture are well acquainted with the lucid and valuable papers 
in which Mr. Dean has published his observations, namely, The 
Present Methods of Oyster Culture in France, published in the Bulletin, 
vol. x, 1892, illustrated with ten plates of figures more or less satis- 
factorily reproduced from photographs of actual scenes; and Report 
on the European Methods of Oyster-culture in vol. xi, 1893, of 
the Bulletin, still more completely illustrated. These two papers 
form the best account extant of the methods now practised and the 
present condition of oyster-culture in Europe. Mr. Dean was sent 
