﻿REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  CXIX 
  

   THE 
  LABORATORY 
  AT 
  WASHINGTON. 
  

  

  A 
  large 
  amount 
  of 
  miscellaneous 
  investigation 
  and 
  experimentation 
  

   is 
  carried 
  on 
  at 
  the 
  Washington 
  laboratory. 
  In 
  its 
  relation 
  to 
  tbe 
  flsh- 
  

   cultural 
  branch 
  of 
  the 
  service 
  the 
  work 
  consists 
  in 
  the 
  examination 
  of 
  

   specimens 
  of 
  diseased 
  fishes 
  or 
  fishes 
  infested 
  with 
  parasites 
  forwarded 
  

   from 
  the 
  various 
  stations 
  and 
  in 
  microscopic 
  studies 
  of 
  the 
  food 
  of 
  

   artificially-hatched 
  fishes. 
  Many 
  specimens 
  of 
  fishes 
  from 
  all 
  parts 
  of 
  

   the 
  country 
  are 
  sent 
  to 
  the 
  Commission 
  for 
  identification 
  by 
  private 
  

   individuals, 
  associations, 
  and 
  institutions. 
  The 
  duty 
  of 
  studying 
  and 
  

   labeling 
  natural-history 
  collections 
  and 
  of 
  preparing 
  sets 
  of 
  same 
  for 
  

   distribution 
  also 
  falls 
  to 
  tlie 
  laboratory 
  assistants. 
  

  

  Collections 
  of 
  fishes 
  and 
  other 
  animals 
  made 
  by 
  the 
  vessels 
  and 
  field 
  

   parties 
  of 
  the 
  Commission 
  are 
  sent 
  to 
  the 
  laboratory 
  of 
  this 
  division 
  to 
  

   be 
  studied, 
  labeled, 
  and 
  distributed. 
  The 
  collections 
  in 
  a 
  given 
  year 
  

   are 
  usually 
  larger 
  than 
  can 
  be 
  critically 
  studied 
  and 
  reported 
  on 
  in 
  

   detail 
  during 
  the 
  same 
  time. 
  During 
  the 
  present 
  year 
  reports 
  on 
  the 
  

   following 
  collections 
  have 
  been 
  either 
  completed 
  or 
  well 
  advanced: 
  (1) 
  

   A 
  large 
  series 
  of 
  fishes 
  and 
  crustaceans 
  from 
  the 
  basin 
  of 
  the 
  Columbia 
  

   Eiver 
  and 
  elsewhere 
  on 
  the 
  Pacific 
  Coast 
  5 
  (2) 
  fishes 
  obtained 
  in 
  the 
  

   Klamath 
  Lakes 
  basin 
  in 
  1894; 
  (3) 
  fishes 
  of 
  Vermont 
  collected 
  in 
  1894; 
  

   (4) 
  large 
  series 
  of 
  salt-water 
  fishes 
  from 
  Indian 
  Eiver, 
  Biscayne 
  Bay, 
  

   Key 
  West, 
  Tarjion 
  Springs, 
  and 
  other 
  points 
  in 
  Florida; 
  (5) 
  fishes 
  of 
  

   the 
  Missouri 
  Eiver 
  basin; 
  (6) 
  very 
  extensive 
  assortment 
  of 
  fishes 
  of 
  

   the 
  Great 
  Lakes 
  obtained 
  in 
  1893, 
  1894, 
  and 
  1895; 
  (7) 
  fishes 
  from 
  the 
  

   interior 
  of 
  Florida 
  collected 
  in 
  the 
  winter 
  of 
  189G-97; 
  (8) 
  miscella- 
  

   neous 
  fishes 
  secured 
  at 
  points 
  in 
  Alabama, 
  Mississippi, 
  Louisiana, 
  and 
  

   Texas 
  in 
  1897; 
  (9) 
  fishes 
  from 
  the 
  interior 
  of 
  New 
  York. 
  

  

  In 
  accordance 
  with 
  the 
  custom 
  long 
  prevailing, 
  collections 
  of 
  fishes 
  

   and 
  other 
  natural-history 
  specimens 
  were 
  sent 
  to 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  

   National 
  Museum. 
  The 
  material 
  consisted 
  of 
  (1) 
  n 
  collection 
  of 
  marine 
  

   invertebrates 
  obtained 
  in 
  the 
  conrse 
  of 
  oyster 
  investigations 
  in 
  Long- 
  

   Island 
  Sound 
  in 
  1890 
  and 
  1892; 
  (2) 
  a 
  quantity 
  of 
  stomach 
  contents 
  

   and 
  ovaries 
  of 
  fur-seals 
  secured 
  by 
  the 
  Albatross 
  in 
  Bering 
  Sea 
  during 
  

   several 
  recent 
  years; 
  (3) 
  collections 
  of 
  mollusks 
  from 
  the 
  Pacific 
  Ocean 
  

   taken 
  by 
  the 
  A?6a/ro.s'.9 
  during 
  the 
  years 
  1887 
  to 
  1896; 
  (4) 
  miscellane- 
  

   ous 
  collections 
  of 
  fresh-water 
  and 
  salt-water 
  mollusks 
  obtained 
  by 
  

   various 
  field 
  parties 
  during 
  the 
  years 
  1888 
  to 
  1896; 
  (5) 
  collections 
  of 
  

   mollusks 
  obtained 
  by 
  the 
  Fish 
  Hawlc 
  in 
  Long 
  Island 
  Sound 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  

   coast 
  of 
  South 
  Carolina; 
  (G) 
  collections 
  of 
  reptiles 
  and 
  batrachians, 
  

   containing 
  about 
  500 
  specimens, 
  obtained 
  in 
  various 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  

   States 
  by 
  field 
  expeditions; 
  (7) 
  types 
  of 
  41 
  new 
  species 
  of 
  fishes 
  col- 
  

   lected 
  by 
  the 
  Albatross 
  in 
  Bering 
  Sea 
  and 
  the 
  North 
  Pacific 
  Ocean 
  in 
  

   1889, 
  1890, 
  and 
  1891, 
  and 
  by 
  field 
  parties 
  in 
  Upper 
  Klamath 
  Lake, 
  

   Oregon, 
  in 
  1 
  894 
  and 
  1896. 
  

  

  The 
  collections 
  of 
  cephalopods, 
  that 
  had 
  been 
  accumulating 
  in 
  the 
  

   Commission 
  for 
  a 
  long 
  time 
  and 
  included 
  several 
  thousand 
  si)ecimens 
  

  

  