﻿THE 
  

  

  ZOOLOGICAL 
  COLLECTIONS 
  

  

  oj 
  

  

  H.M.S. 
  'ALERT.' 
  

  

  SUMMARY 
  OF 
  THE 
  VOYAGE. 
  

  

  BY 
  

  

  R. 
  W. 
  COPPINGER, 
  M.D., 
  Staff-Surgeon 
  R.N. 
  

  

  During 
  the 
  summer 
  of 
  1878 
  it 
  was 
  resolved 
  by 
  the 
  Admiralty 
  to 
  

   equip 
  a 
  vessel 
  for 
  the 
  performance 
  of 
  special 
  surveying-work 
  on 
  

   the 
  western 
  shores 
  of 
  Patagonia, 
  among 
  the 
  South-Pacific 
  Islands, 
  

   and 
  on 
  the 
  eastern 
  and 
  northern 
  shores 
  of 
  Australia; 
  in 
  addi- 
  

   tion 
  to 
  which, 
  it 
  was 
  the 
  wish 
  of 
  the 
  Hydrogra])her 
  of 
  the 
  

   Navy, 
  Captain 
  (now 
  Sir 
  Frederick) 
  Evans, 
  F.R.S., 
  that 
  no 
  oppor- 
  

   tunity 
  should 
  be 
  lost 
  of 
  collecting 
  objects 
  of 
  natural 
  history 
  when- 
  

   ever 
  the 
  requirements 
  of 
  the 
  survey 
  brought 
  the 
  vessel 
  into 
  regions 
  

   whose 
  zoology 
  was 
  hitherto 
  but 
  imperfectly 
  known. 
  It 
  was 
  in 
  

   accordance 
  \vith 
  these 
  views 
  that 
  on 
  the 
  20th 
  August, 
  1878, 
  H.M.S. 
  

   'Alert' 
  was 
  commissioned 
  at 
  Sheerness, 
  with 
  a 
  complement 
  of 
  

   120 
  officers 
  and 
  men, 
  by 
  Captain 
  Sir 
  George 
  IS'ares, 
  who, 
  by 
  a 
  happy 
  

   coincidence, 
  had 
  commanded 
  the 
  same 
  vessel 
  in 
  the 
  Polar 
  Expedition 
  

   of 
  1875-76. 
  On 
  the 
  20th 
  of 
  the 
  following 
  month 
  we 
  sailed 
  from 
  

   Plymouth. 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  outward 
  voyage 
  we 
  touched 
  for 
  a 
  few 
  days 
  at 
  Madeira 
  and 
  

   St. 
  Vincent 
  respectively 
  ; 
  and 
  at 
  both 
  of 
  these 
  places 
  some 
  shallow- 
  

   water 
  dredging 
  was 
  accomplished, 
  resulting 
  in 
  the 
  acquisition 
  of 
  a 
  

   small 
  collection 
  of 
  marine 
  invertebrates, 
  in 
  which, 
  as 
  might 
  have 
  

   been 
  expected, 
  there 
  was 
  little, 
  if 
  any 
  thing, 
  of 
  special 
  interest. 
  

  

  B 
  

  

  