﻿XXVI 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  the 
  lakes 
  there 
  is 
  an 
  abundance 
  of 
  spring 
  water 
  suitable 
  for 
  hatching. 
  

   The 
  State 
  of 
  Colorado 
  having 
  made 
  no 
  appropriation 
  for 
  1885-'86, 
  the 
  

   use 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  hatchery 
  was 
  tendered 
  to 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  Commis- 
  

   sion 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Pierce, 
  with 
  the 
  approval 
  of 
  Governor 
  Eaton. 
  Senator 
  

   Teller 
  also 
  manifested 
  his 
  interest 
  and 
  approval 
  of 
  the 
  proposed 
  work. 
  

   In 
  addition 
  to 
  the 
  State 
  hatchery 
  Mr. 
  Pierce 
  owns 
  a 
  private 
  hatchery 
  

   of 
  300,000 
  eggs 
  capacity, 
  at 
  which 
  he 
  raises 
  trout 
  for 
  market. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Pierce 
  was 
  informed 
  that 
  the 
  establishment 
  of 
  a 
  trout-breeding 
  

   station 
  in 
  Colorado 
  would 
  be 
  considered 
  a 
  very 
  important 
  auxiliary 
  to 
  

   the 
  work 
  of 
  this 
  Commission, 
  and 
  that 
  as 
  early 
  as 
  practicable 
  a 
  recon- 
  

   naissance 
  of 
  the 
  lakes, 
  their 
  location 
  and 
  surroundings, 
  would 
  be 
  made 
  

   with 
  a 
  view 
  to 
  active 
  operations. 
  The 
  actual 
  equipment 
  of 
  the 
  station 
  

   when 
  once 
  erected 
  would 
  be 
  inexpensive, 
  as 
  the 
  necessary 
  apparatus 
  is 
  

   now 
  on 
  hand. 
  The 
  matter 
  remains 
  in 
  abeyance 
  for 
  future 
  considera- 
  

   tion. 
  

  

  4. 
  — 
  VESSELS 
  OF 
  THE 
  U. 
  S. 
  FISH 
  COMMISSION. 
  

   A.— 
  The 
  Steamer 
  Albatross. 
  

  

  The 
  Albatross, 
  under 
  the 
  command 
  of 
  Lieut.-Commander 
  Z. 
  L. 
  Tan- 
  

   ner, 
  U. 
  S. 
  1ST., 
  continued 
  during 
  the 
  year 
  to 
  do 
  valuable 
  work 
  in 
  connec- 
  

   tion 
  with 
  the 
  investigations 
  and 
  researches 
  required 
  of 
  the 
  Commission 
  

   by 
  the 
  Government. 
  

  

  At 
  the 
  beginning 
  of 
  the 
  year 
  all 
  preparations 
  for 
  sea 
  had 
  been 
  com- 
  

   pleted, 
  and 
  on 
  January 
  3 
  the 
  vessel 
  left 
  the 
  navy-yard 
  at 
  Washington 
  

   and 
  proceeded 
  to 
  sea 
  under 
  instructions 
  to 
  make 
  a 
  full 
  and 
  careful 
  in- 
  

   vestigation 
  of 
  the 
  food-fishes 
  and 
  fisheries 
  of 
  the 
  Gulf 
  of 
  Mexico, 
  includ- 
  

   ing 
  a 
  trip 
  to 
  the 
  island 
  of 
  Cozumel 
  off 
  the 
  coast 
  of 
  Yucatan, 
  and 
  a 
  visit 
  

   to 
  the 
  New 
  Orleans 
  Exposition 
  as 
  a 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  display 
  of 
  the 
  Fish 
  Com- 
  

   mission. 
  While 
  in 
  the 
  Gulf 
  Stream 
  off 
  and 
  to 
  the 
  southward 
  of 
  Cape 
  

   Hatteras 
  the 
  weather 
  was 
  too 
  rough 
  to 
  admit 
  of 
  much 
  deep-sea 
  research 
  

   or 
  a 
  satisfactory 
  attempt 
  to 
  search 
  for 
  tile-fish, 
  and 
  the 
  vessel 
  was 
  

   finally 
  run. 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  stream 
  and 
  headed 
  for 
  Key 
  West, 
  where 
  she 
  

   arrived 
  on 
  the 
  9th. 
  After 
  lying 
  there 
  a 
  few 
  days 
  the 
  Albatross 
  steamed 
  

   over 
  to 
  Havana, 
  where 
  the 
  usual 
  courtesies 
  were 
  extended 
  by 
  the 
  officials 
  

   of 
  the 
  port, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  which 
  some 
  valuable 
  scientific 
  work 
  

   was 
  done. 
  

  

  Leaviug 
  Havana 
  the 
  vessel 
  proceeded 
  across 
  the 
  Gulf 
  to 
  the 
  island 
  of 
  

   Cozumel, 
  making 
  soundings 
  and 
  dredgings 
  on 
  the 
  way, 
  reaching 
  the 
  

   island 
  on 
  the 
  22d 
  of 
  January, 
  where 
  she 
  remained 
  until 
  the 
  29th, 
  during 
  

   which 
  time 
  an 
  investigation 
  was 
  made 
  of 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  island, 
  especially 
  

   of 
  the 
  village 
  of 
  San 
  Miguel, 
  and 
  numbers 
  of 
  birds 
  and 
  marine 
  speci- 
  

   mens 
  were 
  obtained. 
  Soundings 
  were 
  next 
  made 
  on 
  the 
  Campeche 
  

   Banks, 
  but 
  the 
  examination 
  of 
  this 
  region 
  was 
  cut 
  short 
  by 
  sickness 
  on 
  

   board, 
  and 
  the 
  vessel 
  proceeded 
  to 
  Pensacola, 
  where 
  a 
  typhoid 
  patient 
  

   was 
  transferred 
  to 
  the 
  hospital. 
  Some 
  investigations 
  were 
  made 
  on 
  the 
  

   lishing-banks 
  off 
  Cape 
  San 
  Bias 
  in 
  regard 
  to 
  the 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  bot- 
  

  

  