﻿NO. 7 SMITHSONIAN EXPLORATIONS, I926 7 1 



the water, a condition locally attributed to the heavily flooded state 

 of the Suwannee River. The process of skinning and skeletonizing a 

 porpoise {Tursiops) is shown in one of the photographs. 



Cedar Keys is one of the headquarters of the Gulf sponge fishery, 

 an industry carried on by Greeks. Seaworthy motor boats are used, 

 the divers working in the open waters of the Gulf of Mexico, and 

 remaining at sea about a week at a time. It is said that good com- 

 mercial sponges could formerly be obtained in the waters of Wac- 

 cassassee Bay ; but this supply was long ago exhausted. 



The town of Cedar Keys occupies a site famous for its Indian 

 mounds and shellheaps. Many of the houses rest on foundations 

 dug into these remnants of a vanished culture. 



Gerrit S. Miller, Jr. 



\-lSIT TO .A CALIFORNIA WHALING STATION 



During the summer of 192O a joint expedition was made to the 

 coast region of northern California l)y the Smithsonian Institution 

 and the San Diego Society of Xatural History, A. lirazier Howell 

 representing the former and Laurence 'SI. Huey the latter. Oppor- 

 tunity was taken to make collcctit)ns of the local mammals and some 

 things of much interest were secured, including seven specimens of 

 the rare rodent, Phcnacouiys albipcs, of which but two specimens 

 had been previously known from California. The main purpose of 

 the expedition, however, was to secure data, rather than specimens, 

 regarding the whales and whale fishery at Trinidad, Humboldt 

 County. This station in summer, and one near Monterey during 

 the winter, are both operated by the California Sea Products Com- 

 pany, a concern that has been active in this field for many years. 

 It is now the only well established whale fishery anywhere on the coast 

 of the United States, although at least one other has recently started 

 work. 



Whale hunting is a very old industry and hence is of great inter- 

 est historically, as well as biologically and economically. The early 

 type of fishery has disappeared never to return because of a number 

 of reasons, among which are the fact that the more valuable species 

 have been practically exterminated, leaving the speedier, less valuable 

 ones which the old-time whalers not only did not want, but could 

 not catch with the methods then in use; and the adoption of the 

 present technique, including small, fast steamers and harpoon guns. 



The catch at Trinidad consists almost exclusively of finback and 

 humpback whales, the former reaching a length of about 75 feet 



