SMITHSONIAN-BREDIN EXPEDITION—SCHMITT 427 
orate on an ecologic-systematic study of the Vasums in their respective 
West Indian collections. 
Mr. Finlay’s special mollusk traps were also very successful. On 
one occasion in 126 fathoms off Charlestown, Nevis, and on another 
in 120 fathoms off Anguilla, they brought up an appreciable number 
of perfect specimens of Murex cailleti kugleri. In that Nevis haul 
he also got another interesting shell, Bursa tenuisculpta, of finer 
sculpture and of more elongated form than usual. The A/wrew is 
represented in the National Museum’s collections from southeast 
Florida, off Bahia Honda, Cuba, Yucatan, and north of the Virgin 
Islands, in depths ranging from 50 to 1380 fathoms or more. The 
Finlay specimens extend the range of the species considerably farther 
south and east than heretofore known. This Murex has also been 
taken both north and south of Redonda. It has been recorded, almost 
exclusively by dredging operations, from Sand Key, Fla., in 25 
fathoms; Cuba, 180 fathoms; Jamaica; Santo Domingo; St. Croix, 
115 and 248 fathoms; Saint Maarten ; and Guadeloupe. 
FISHING WITH THE LONG-LINE 
For the first time on any Smithsonian expedition, the so-called long- 
line was used for taking specimens at sea. This type of fishing gear 
was developed by the Japanese for their oceanic fisheries, principally 
tuna and albacore. Their success with it led our Fish and Wildlife 
Service to adopt and adapt it for use by American fishermen. We re- 
quested from the Fish and Wildlife Service the loan of a long-line 
for this Bredin expedition, to see what we might catch with it. The 
Service helpfully complied, being interested in what this gear might 
catch in the area in which we would be operating. The long-line 
is an informative tool of the first order in prospecting for com- 
mercially important fish. 
They advised us to take but half a Jong-line, 5 tubs (“baskets,” or 
sections) of line, instead of the standard 10. We were new to the game, 
and our chartered yacht was not specially fitted for this kind of 
fishing, though our captain and crew soon familiarized themselves 
with handling it over the side. Each section is 138 fathoms long, 
so that five tubs alone, end to end, will stretch out more than three- 
fourths of a mile. Buoy lines are usually adjusted so that the baited 
Japanese tuna-type hooks hang between 10 and 20 fathoms below the 
surface, the recommended fishing depth. These hooks, 10 to a tub 
or section, are each attached to a 4-fathom branch line with a 1-fathom 
wire leader. A buoy is at the end of each section, and at the beginning 
and end of the line is attached a signal flag on a bamboo pole, suitably 
buoyed with cork floats and weighted to stand upright. These 
markers are essential, as the long-lines are best put over at or just be- 
fore dawn and allowed to soak for several hours. If a number of 
