1916.] Town/send, Voyage of tin 'Albatross' in 1911. 405 



5073). The catch consisted of two fishes and numerous invertebrates, with 

 about two barrels of stiff blue mud. The animal forms were roughly identi- 

 fied as follows: Fishes — 1 Macrurus, 1 Raia; Starfishes: Eremicaster 

 pacificus and Pectinaster agassizii. Shells — Trophon, Hemicardium, 8 

 brachiopods, S Dentalia; Crustacea — 3 species of crimson prawns; mis- 

 cellaneous — worms, ophiurans, holothurians, ascidians, silicious sponges, 1 

 very large pycnogonid, ophiurans and worms in tubes by hundreds. The 

 blue mud obtained here proved to be interesting. Our modeler was in need 

 of modeler's clay, of which we had but a small supply. With a little working 

 by hand, the bluish, stiff mud from this and other dredging stations in this 

 general region, could be made equal to the best modeler's clay. It was used 

 constantly as a modeling clay on board the ship and was not distinguishable 

 from the commercial article. 



We arrived at Guadalupe Island on the morning of March 2, where the 

 scientific staff was landed at the deserted camp near the northeast point. 

 I started with the ship at once for the northwest side to examine the site of 

 an old rookery of elephant seals which I had visited in 1892. At that time 

 I was in charge of the schooner ' Santa Barbara,' making a reconnaissance of 

 Guadalupe Island for the Department of State with a view to identifying 

 the species of fur seal known to exist there. Two miles west of North Point 

 I took a boat and began examining the coast, the 'Albatross' keeping off 

 shore. I followed along the beach just outside of the breakers for a couple 

 of hours to within two miles of Steamer Point, where I found about one 

 hundred elephant seals hauled out on the sand beach below the cliffs and 

 between two large rock slides. I killed one large male and one large female, 

 which w r ere skinned and taken on board at nightfall, along with six live 

 yearlings. Early in the afternoon the ship left us some men, and returned 

 to the east side to pick up the party landed there in the morning. On her 

 return at dusk, she anchored about half a mile off the elephant seal beach 

 in fifteen fathoms, where we spent the night. 



The following day the sea was too rough for landing. We remained at 

 anchor and spent the day in preparing the two large skins for museum 

 purposes; our collectors working on the birds, plants, and other specimens 

 obtained on the east side of the island the day before. Among the birds 

 collected were the Guadalupe house finch, wren and snowbird. The gold- 

 finch was observed. Nothing was seen of the Guadalupe flicker, which is 

 believed to have been exterminated by former collectors. Several petrels 

 were captured on board during the two nights we were anchored off elephant 

 beach. 



The beach occupied at present by the elephant seals is five or six hundred 

 yards in length, and is not accessible from the island at any point. The 



