XL REPOItT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



As in i^revious years, Professor Verrill, of Yale College, had charge 

 of the work connected with the marine invertebrates, and Dr. Tarleton 

 H. Beau of the fishes, in this being assisted by Mr. Peter Parker. 

 Other assistants were Prof. L. A. Lee, of Bowdoin College, Mr. San- 

 derson Smith, Mr. James H. Emerton, and others. Capt. H. C. Chester 

 had general charge of the buildings, assisted by Vinal JST. Edwards, of 

 Wood's Holl. 



During the summer the usual branches of research were prosecuted 

 under the direction of the several chiefs, and a great deal of valuable 

 information collected, some of which will be furnished in the form of 

 monographic papers, and the rest presented in the pages of the Eeports 

 of the Commission or in the Fishery Division of the United States 

 Census of 1880. 



One of the most practical results of the work of the season was the in- 

 vestigation into the area of distribution and the economical qualities of the 

 tile fish. This species was first brought to light by the casual capture of 

 some specimens in 1879 by Captain Kirby, of Gloucester, Mass., who 

 carried them into that city, where they were secured by the Fish Com- 

 mission, which had a station there at the time. As explained in the 

 previous Eeport, the ground was investigated by the Fish Hawk in 1880, 

 and a number of specimens captured. 



During 1881 special efforts were made to define the limitation and 

 area of this fish. It was found to occur on the edge of the continental 

 plateau, and in abitudance equal to that of codfish on the fishing banks. 

 It is confidently believed that a large part of the fish supply of New 

 York and Boston could readily be furnished from this species. Careful 

 tests were made of its qualities as a food-fish, not only on board the 

 vessel and at Wood's Holl, but by distributing them among the New 

 York experts, through Mr. E. G. Blackford. The reports were uni- 

 formly favorable; one gentleman characterizing the fish as having hard 

 meat and sweet and juicy as any game fish he ever met with; another 

 ranking it above sheeps-head, as being more juicy and better flavored. 



The work accomplished by the Fish Hawk, to which a great deal of 

 the success of the summer was due, will be referred to under a subse- 

 quent heading. 



The season was closed by my departure on the 4th of October, the 

 Fish Hawk proceeding to Washington with her collections and appara- 

 tus, stopi)ing, however, at New Haven to discharge the packages con- 

 taining specimens for Professor Verrill. 



15. — EXPLORATIONS OF THE FISH HAWK. 



With the exception of the years 1872 and 1876, when the Commis- 

 sioner was necessarily otherwise occupied, the IsTavj' Department, in 

 compliance with law, has, since 1871, furnished the Commission with a 

 steamer for its summer work. The first detail of this kind was that of 

 a small steam-launch in 1871. In 1873, 1874, and 1875, the steamer 



