6 U. S. FISHERIES STEAMER ALBATROSS. 



When in sight of land position was fixed by compass bearings, and 

 from the position so obtained on the chart in use the latitude and 

 longitude were pricked off and set down in the record as the position 

 of the station. If these charts should hereafter be corrected in 

 latitude and longitude, the positions assigned to the stations must be 

 changed accordingly. 



In conformity with previous practice, an additional position, by 

 true bearing and distance, of some prominent shore feature is given 

 for each station when practicable. As viewed from the ship, the 

 nearest and most prominent objects on shore from which the ship's 

 position was determined were often topographical features, incon- 

 spicuous and unnamed on the chart, and impossible of identification 

 by a brief written description. Therefore the bearings given in the 

 tables were laid off from the plotted position on the chart to some 

 object prominent on the chart, whether the object could actually be 

 seen from the ship or not; though whenever convenient one of the 

 two points taken for bearings by the navigator in determining the 

 position is used in the table as the point of reference. The letters 

 (S.), (N.), (W.), or (E.) indicate, respectively, the south, north, west, 

 or east tangent of the point of reference after which they are placed; 

 e. g., Verde Id. (E.)=eastern tangent of Verde Island. 



All bearings are true unless otherwise indicated. 



The spelling of all geographic names in these tables is that found 

 on the charts designated in the column "Chart." There is consider- 

 able variation in this respect in the different issues of charts. 



"Time of day" in the case of soundings indicates the time the 

 plummet struck bottom; in the case of dredgings, the time at which 

 the apparatus began to tow on the bottom; in the case of interme- 

 diate nets, the time at which the nets started to tow at the depth 

 indicated; in the case of surface hauls, the time at which they were 

 lowered into the water and began to be towed or the current to pass 

 through them. 



"Depth" (in fathoms) is the depth obtained by the sounding 

 when a sounding was made. In cases where no sounding was made 

 the depth is estimated from the chart, unless the station immediately 

 follows another, in which case the depth obtained at the preceding 

 station is given. In seine hauls the depths given are approximate, 

 and represent the greatest depth of water through which the seine was 

 hauled. 



"Temperatures." The air temperatures are taken from the ship's 

 log for the hour nearest the hour entered in the time column; the 

 same is true of the surface temperatures where the towing commenced 

 near the hour mark, but in other cases the surface temperature was 



