LIV EEPOET OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHEEIES. 



In spite of the impossibility of commencing work during 1882 in the 

 construction of the permanent station, it was determined to make 

 Wood's Holl again the headquarters of the general work of the Com- 

 mission, and as a large number of persons were expected to join the 

 party during the summer, it became necessary to make special arrange- 

 ments for their accommodation. The hotel which constituted the head- 

 quarters of the Commission for the year 1881 was closed, and it became 

 necessary for the Commissioner to lease it. Before possession could 

 be taken, however, the building was burned to the ground on the 16th 

 of May, but by the kind assistance of Mr. Joseph S. Fay, of Wood's 

 Holl, the building used in 1881 for the assistants of the Commission 

 was fitted up as headquarters, and a second building obtained for offices. 

 Most of the party were billeted in different rooms throughout the vil- 

 lage. A steward was employed in Washington, who carried with him 

 the necessary corps of assistants, and a general mess for the entire 

 party was kept in the headquarters building. This arrangement was 

 found to be quite satisfactory, although involving more or less incon- 

 venience. 



I left Washington on the 27th of July, and reached Wood's Holl on 

 the 28th, a special car from Fall River to Wood's Holl having been fur- 

 nished by President Choate, of the Old Colony Eailroad Company, for 

 the accommodation of several invalids. 



The Fish Hawk arrived on the 26th of July. 



As heretofore the marine invertebrate work was under the direction 

 of Prof. A. E. Verrill, who had as his assistants Messrs. Emerton, Sand- 

 erson Smith, Bruner, Linton, Koons, etc. The fishes were cared for 

 for by Peter Parker, jr., and Mr. Miner. A portion of the office staff 

 also accompanied me, consisting of Messrs. H. A. Gill, J. P. Wilson, and 

 Edward Hayes. 



The Fish Hawk made several trips to the Tile- fish ground, for the 

 special purpose of determining whether the destruction of the tile-fish 

 referred to in another part of the report w^s as extensive as reported. 

 The results will be found under the head of the Tile-fish. 



In view of the the fact that many species of deep-sea fishes collected 

 by the Fish Hawk had previously been taken under the supervision of 

 Mr. Agassiz, by the Coast Survey steamer Blake, an arrangement was 

 concluded with that gentleman by which all the species of this charac- 

 ter, collected by the Fish Hawk, would be worked up by Mr. G. Brown 

 Goode and Dr. Tarleton H. Bean conjointly, and a provisional report 

 published, first in the Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology, 

 followed by an illustrated paper in the Memoir. This has, accordingly, 

 been done, and a valuable addition to science has been the result. 



19. — INVESTIGATION OF THE FISHES OF THE ADIRONDACK REGION. 



In connection with the proposed exploration by Dr. C. Hart Merriam, 

 of the natural history of the Adirondack region, an arrangement was 



