668 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. [64] 



Leaving Wood's Holl September 14, we made a cruise about 200 miles 

 to the southward to deep water on the inner edge of the Gulf Stream, 

 and found a very rich bottom at stations 2711-2722, 594 to 1,867 fathoms. 

 We succeeded in bringing in the large soft holothuriaus Bentlwdytes gi- 

 gantea and Euphronides cornuta, in an excellent state for study, by inject- 

 ing them, through the natural orifice, with alcohol and setting the tanks 

 of full strength alcohol in which they were placed directly upon the ice. 



One of the deep-sea fishes from station 2720, 1,509 fathoms, Ophio- 

 gnathus sp., was of special interest, as it was the first taken by the Al- 

 batross. 



During this cruise we observed a pigeon-hawk, a cedar-bird, and a 

 woodpecker about the rigging. 



At station 2719 we took a big blue heron — Ardea herodias — which 

 was very fat and seemed quite ;tt home out there. 



We had excellent opportunities for surface work, and made large col- 

 lections, both with the scoop-nets about the electric lights and with the 

 large tow-net. As usual the large tow-net brought the best results 

 just about dark in the evening. 



While at Wood's Holl, during the latter part of September, I made 

 several trips, in company with Messrs. Edwards and Nye, over to Gay 

 Head and Menemsha Bight, in the steam-launch Cygnet, to secure speci- 

 mens of the haglets (Puffinus borealis) and jaegers ( titer corarius pomari- 

 nus and parasiticus), which were following the mackerel and herring. 

 We shot a number of specimens, and were able to make a fine series of 

 skins, besides sending a number of fresh birds to Washington. 



On October 21 the Albatross started south. We made thirteen hauls 

 with the beam trawl, stations 2023 to 2035, 029 to 1,072 fathoms, just 

 to the southward of our last work. 



The fauna was much the same, but we added one new species of fish 

 to our collections. 



A large specimen of the squid, SthenoteutJiis megaptera, was taken at 

 our last station. 



The amount of phosphorescence about most of the deep-sea life is a 

 very striking feature of all the hauls landed after dark. 

 • It is impossible to speak of our deep-sea work except in this very 

 general way, on account of the vast amount of material collected. For 

 particulars we shall have to wait for the reports of the specialists to 

 whom the material has been turned over for study. 



Thanks to the kindness of Dr. Bean and Mr. Eidgway, in* allowing me 

 access to their books, I have been able to copy off the following lists of 

 the fish and of the birds collected by us while among the Bahama 

 Islands. 



It has seemed advisable to mention in these lists those species taken 

 by other collectors which we did not succeed in finding, aud this I have 

 done as far as I have found any record of their work. 



Our work for the season closed with the arrival of the Albatross at 

 Washinetou on October 27. 



