October 15, 1891] 



NATURE 



563 



bility of introducing the mountain mullets of Jamaica 

 (Agonostoma) into some of the Alpine streams of the 

 Southern States ; and Mr. R. Rathbun gives a detailed 

 report on the introduction of lobsters to the Pacific shores 

 of the United States. 



The two most important contributions to this volume 

 are, however, those by Lieutenant Tanner, " On the 

 Result of the Explorations of the Fishing-grounds of 

 Alaska, Washington Territory, and Oregon during 

 1888," and by Mr. John A. Ryder, " On the Sturgeons 

 and Sturgeon Industries of the Eastern Coast of the 

 United States." 



Although it had been known for many years that the 

 Pacific coasts of North America were abundantly pro- 

 vided with edible fishes, it was not until 1880 that the exact 

 species of these were correctly determined ; the Alaskan 

 cod proving to be the same species as that of the 

 North AiLintic. The absence of large and convenient 

 markets hindered the development of the Pacific coast 

 fisheries ; but, with the completion of the railroad system, 

 this state of things has changed, and a strong interest is 

 now being shown in all that relates to the development 

 of the fish industry. This Report affords us the first ac- 

 curate information that has been obtained respecting 

 most of the fishing-grounds in Alaska. The five banks 

 whose positions were indicated by older surveys — namely, 

 Davidson, Sannakh, Shumagin, Albatross, and Portlock 

 banks— were more thoroughly examined than were the 

 intervening areas, some of which, however, may, upon 

 further examination, prove to contain fishing-banks of 

 equal value, and not inferior in size, to at least the 

 smaller of the banks mentioned. 



Good fishing was obtained at nearly all localities where 

 trials were made with hand-lines, whether upon defined 

 banks or upon the more level grounds between them, and 

 it seems natural to infer that the entire submerged plateau 

 from off Unalashka Island to Fairweather Ground is one 

 immense fishing-bank, limited upon the outer side only 

 by the abrupt slope, which may be said to begin about 

 the IOC-fathom curve. 



Although the great bulk of this Report relates to the fish- 

 ing-banks and fishes, yet we get various glimpses of many 

 interesting facts relating to other of the vertebrate and to 

 many of the invertebrate forms met with. Off Popoff 

 Island, large masses of sea-urchins, star-fishes, and large 

 Medusae were found in the seine nets, and the hooks 

 became entangled with fine specimens of sea-pens (Pen- 

 natula). At the Lighthouse Rocks a landing was made, 

 to examine a large rookery of Steller's sea-lion {Eumeto- 

 pias stelleri). Several hundreds of these animals were 

 found crowded together upon a very limited area. As 

 the party landed, the old sea-lions came tumbling down 

 over the rocks in great eagerness to reach the sea ; a few, 

 whose retreat was intercepted, were seen to jump from 

 their high positions directly into the water, apparently 

 sustaining no injury from the plunge, although the dis- 

 tance was considerable, especially for such large animals. 

 A couple of killer whales (Orca), attracted by the dis- 

 turbance and the sight of so many seals in the water, 

 came quite close to the rocks, causing the seals to gather 

 'nearer the shore, and to cast frightened looks of alarm 

 towards the whales, whose dorsal fins showed not less than 

 four feet above the surface of the water. These rocks 

 NO. 1 146, VOL. 44] 



were entirely destitute of vegetation. Off Trinity Islands, 

 large quantities of crustaceans, worms, mollusks, echino- 

 derms, and sponges were taken — an especial feature of 

 the haul consisting of over a hundred specimens of a 

 fine large free crinoid. As all these specimens will find 

 their way to the United States National Museum, we 

 may expect soon to have recorded many additions to the 

 marine fauna of the North Pacific. 



Mr. John A. Ryder's paper will also be perused with great 

 interest. Having undertaken to report on the sturgeons 

 and sturgeon fisheries of the eastern rivers of the United 

 States, he repaired in May 1888 to Delaware City, 

 which is described as a very important centre of the 

 sturgeon fishery. Two species of the genus Acipenser 

 are to be found in the waters along the Atlantic coast of 

 the United States ; these are A. sturio, L., andv4. brevi- 

 rostris, Le Sueur. The former (the common sturgeon) is 

 the only one of any commercial importance at Delaware, 

 as Le Sueur's species is so rare that only five specimens 

 of it were taken by Mr. Ryder ; and since the date of its 

 first being described, in 1817, it does not appear to have 

 been until now again recognized. Of the other American 

 species, one is the very distinct fresh-water sturgeon of 

 the Lake region, and two others are to be found on the 

 Pacific coast. 



The embryological data of this memoir have been in a 

 good measure drawn from the author's original investiga- 

 tions, but he has fortunately also given us in addition 

 details from the writings of Balfour, Knoch, Parker, 

 Zograff, and Salensky. He found it perfectly practicable 

 to fertilize artificially the sturgeon's roe, and thinks it pos- 

 sible that millions of young sturgeon might be developed 

 in this way. He treats in detail of the dermal armature 

 of the sturgeon's body, illustrating this part of his sub- 

 ject by numerous photogravures, describes the organs 

 of locomotion, the lateral line system, the viscera, and 

 lymphatics. The sources of the food of this fish and its 

 peculiar habits are next considered, and special informa- 

 tion is given about the preparing of the flesh for market, 

 and the manufacture of the caviare. A very useful 

 bibliography of the literature relating to the sturgeon is 

 appended. This memoir is illustrated by twenty-two 

 plates. 



THE CATALOGUE OF THE WASHINGTON 

 MEDICAL LIBRARY. 



Index Catalogue of the Library of the Surgeon-General's 

 Office, U.S. Army. Vol. XI. Phaedronus— Regent. 

 Pp. 1 102. (Washington, 1890.) 



THE appearance of these very fine folios year by 

 year for the last eleven years is a very good 

 proof to all lovers of books and collections of books in 

 Europe that they have some sympathetic friends in 

 America who have the will and the power to make one 

 at least of their finest libraries well known throughout 

 the world. Its title as the Library of the Surgeon- 

 General's Office may once have sounded like the name 

 of a collection of musty Blue books tied together with 

 red tape ; but, thanks to the energy of its Librarian, 

 Mr. J. S. Billings, which we feel constantly in the 

 monthly publication of the Ifidex Medicus, everyone 

 knows now that it is nothing of the kind, but 



