4 REPORT OF COMMISSIONERS OF INLAND FISHERIES. 
Tenth. The efforts of the commission to prevent the illegal 
taking of short lobsters. 
Eleventh. Preparation of an exhibit at the Pan-American Ex- 
position. 
Your commission felt keenly the death of Governor Gregory. 
He took a genuine interest in the work of the commission, not 
only in his official capacity, but personally as a resident of the 
State and the town of Wickford, where the laboratory is located. 
Five years ago your commission undertook a systematic survey 
of the marine animals of Narragansett Bay, for the purpose of 
gaining an accurate first-hand acquaintance with them and the 
conditions in which they live. It was believed that this proced- 
ure would in time prove to be of direct benefit to the fishing in- 
dustries, which are of great importance in this State. In this 
work we have had the support of your honorable body, in gener- 
ous appropriations which have been spent carefully, and for which 
returns have been made each year in the form of investigations of 
the problems which seemed most to need solution. We have en- 
joyed, also, the hearty cooperation of the residents of the State, 
especially of the fishermen, and this has added much to the efti- 
ciency of our efforts. 
The plan of the scientific work was laid out by Dr. H. C. Bumpus, 
who directed it for four years. His resignation from the commis- 
sion, made necessary by his removal to New York, we cordially 
regret. 
The first laboratory of your commission was a small house-boat, 
located in the Kickemuit river. In 1899 an old scow was pur- 
chased, refitted, and moored in Mill Cove, at Wickford. Those 
two crude structures served their purpose well and proved be- 
yond a doubt that the floating laboratory—though a novel scheme 
—was superior in many respects to a more elaborate plant on shore. 
They were, however, inadequate to the increasing demands of the 
work; indeed, it was quite Impossible to keep them afloat. The 
second house-boat—the scow—is now on shore at Wickford, and 
