﻿b'O 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  [58] 
  

  

  to 
  the 
  arrangements 
  for 
  the 
  accommodation 
  of 
  the 
  crew, 
  for 
  ventila- 
  

   tion, 
  lighting, 
  heating, 
  &c. 
  

  

  The 
  following 
  ports 
  were 
  visited: 
  Washington, 
  D. 
  C.j 
  Norfolk, 
  Va.; 
  

   Key 
  West, 
  Fla. 
  ; 
  Havana, 
  Cuba; 
  Cozumel 
  Island, 
  Yucatan; 
  Pensacola, 
  

   Fla.; 
  New 
  Orleans, 
  La. 
  ; 
  Tampa, 
  Fla.; 
  Baltimore, 
  Md. 
  ; 
  Newport, 
  R.I. 
  ; 
  

   St. 
  John's, 
  N. 
  F.; 
  Halifax, 
  N. 
  S.; 
  Wood's 
  Holl, 
  Mass.; 
  New 
  York, 
  N. 
  Y. 
  

  

  Specific 
  gravity 
  observations 
  were 
  continued 
  except 
  in 
  those 
  portions 
  

   of 
  the 
  Atlantic 
  covered 
  by 
  previous 
  cruises. 
  The 
  results 
  are 
  appended. 
  

   Of 
  especial 
  interest 
  is 
  the 
  series 
  of 
  date 
  March 
  1, 
  5.30 
  o'clock, 
  to 
  

   March 
  2, 
  3 
  o'clock. 
  This 
  series 
  of 
  observations 
  commences 
  at 
  the 
  jet- 
  

   ties 
  of 
  the 
  South 
  Pass 
  of 
  the 
  Mississippi 
  River 
  and 
  extends 
  directly 
  

   out 
  into 
  the 
  Gulf 
  of 
  Mexico 
  for 
  the 
  distance 
  of 
  about 
  75 
  nautical 
  miles. 
  

   The 
  course 
  of 
  the 
  ship 
  from 
  the 
  jetties 
  was 
  SB. 
  J 
  E.; 
  average 
  speed 
  

   a 
  little 
  over 
  8 
  knots; 
  wind 
  light 
  from 
  the 
  NE. 
  The 
  5.30 
  specimen 
  of 
  

   water 
  was 
  taken 
  from 
  the 
  river 
  just 
  inside 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  jetties; 
  

   at 
  G 
  o'clock 
  the 
  ship 
  was 
  about 
  5 
  miles 
  out; 
  after 
  that, 
  8 
  miles 
  may 
  be 
  

   added 
  to 
  the 
  distance 
  for 
  each 
  hour. 
  It 
  will 
  be 
  seen 
  that 
  at 
  50 
  miles 
  

   from 
  its 
  mouth 
  the 
  river 
  is 
  practically 
  lost 
  in 
  the 
  Gulf, 
  and 
  at 
  75 
  miles 
  

   all 
  influence 
  upon 
  the 
  density 
  of 
  the 
  Gulf 
  water 
  has 
  disappeared. 
  

  

  REPORT 
  OF 
  THE 
  NATURALIST, 
  MR. 
  JAMES 
  E. 
  BENEDICT. 
  

  

  The 
  first 
  cruise 
  of 
  the 
  Albatross 
  in 
  1885 
  began 
  on 
  the 
  3d 
  of 
  January, 
  

   when 
  the 
  ship 
  sailed 
  from 
  Norfolk, 
  Va., 
  for 
  the 
  Gulf 
  of 
  Mexico. 
  Dredg- 
  

   ing 
  began 
  on 
  the 
  5th, 
  when 
  four 
  hauls 
  were 
  made 
  with 
  the 
  beam 
  

   trawl, 
  resulting 
  in 
  the 
  capture 
  of 
  many 
  invertebrates 
  and 
  fish. 
  Captain 
  

   Collins 
  set 
  a 
  large 
  trawl 
  line 
  in 
  the 
  morning, 
  but 
  succeeded 
  in 
  takiug 
  

   only 
  three 
  fish. 
  Surface 
  collecting 
  was 
  carried 
  on 
  with 
  vigor. 
  We 
  ar- 
  

   rived 
  in 
  Key 
  West 
  on 
  the 
  9th, 
  where 
  some 
  of 
  us 
  collected 
  birds 
  for 
  the 
  

   practice 
  in 
  skinning. 
  Dr. 
  Bean 
  and 
  Captain 
  Collins 
  made 
  several 
  hauls 
  

   along 
  shore 
  with 
  the 
  capelin 
  seine. 
  The 
  bottom 
  was 
  too 
  rough 
  to 
  accom- 
  

   plish 
  much 
  in 
  this 
  way. 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  15th 
  of 
  -January 
  the 
  ship 
  sailed 
  for 
  Havana, 
  making 
  several 
  

   good 
  hauls 
  on 
  the 
  way. 
  Several 
  days 
  were 
  spent 
  off 
  Havana 
  using 
  the 
  

   tangles 
  for 
  sea-lilies 
  and 
  other 
  echinoderms, 
  corals, 
  and 
  hydroids. 
  In 
  this 
  

   work 
  we 
  were 
  very 
  successful, 
  the 
  tangles 
  usually 
  coming 
  up 
  so 
  well 
  

   filled 
  with 
  specimens 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  necessary 
  to 
  put 
  on 
  a 
  clean 
  tangle 
  

   while 
  the 
  one 
  from 
  the 
  bottom 
  was 
  being 
  picked 
  over. 
  The 
  work 
  in 
  this 
  

   locality 
  is 
  interesting, 
  as 
  it 
  is 
  on 
  a 
  fishing 
  ground 
  frequented 
  by 
  small 
  fish- 
  

   ing 
  craft 
  from 
  Havana, 
  which 
  have 
  from 
  time 
  to 
  time 
  brought 
  in 
  some 
  of 
  

   the 
  rare 
  invertebrates 
  and 
  fish. 
  The 
  bottom 
  is 
  so 
  rough 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  

   no 
  uncommon 
  thing 
  for 
  the 
  tangles 
  to 
  catch, 
  and 
  it 
  required 
  careful 
  

   maneuvering 
  of 
  the 
  ship 
  to 
  free 
  them 
  without 
  loss 
  of 
  the 
  outfit. 
  After 
  

   leaving 
  this 
  place 
  the 
  ship 
  cruised 
  to 
  the 
  westward 
  through 
  the 
  southern 
  

   portion 
  of 
  the 
  Gulf, 
  dredging 
  and 
  doing 
  surface 
  work 
  when 
  there 
  was 
  

  

  