120 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FLSHKRIIvS. [414] 



channel ; dredgings on line 5, , b ; 7, ft, c, d ; 8, c, d, e, f, g ; 42, a, 

 ft; 43, a, I, c, d, e, were made on the shallower portion of this ground, 

 mostly in three to eight fathoms; 38, , ft, c ; 39, , ft; 40, a, 6, c, d; 

 41, & ; 44, a, ft, c, d, e ; 46, c, were made in the deeper parts of the chan- 

 nel, in eight to fifteen fathoms. 



Third. Several areas, in the deeper waters of the sound, north and 

 northeast of Holme's Hole, and doubtless continuous with the last area; 

 dredgings, at line 28, a, ft, c, d, e,f; 29, a, ft, c ; 31, a, ft, c, d, 6 ; 32? 

 , ft, c ; 33, a, ft, c, tf, were made on these bottoms. 



Fourth. A narrow strip of clean gravelly bottom, swept by the strong 

 currents passing around West Chop, and situated between the " Middle 

 Ground". Shoals and Martha's Vineyard, and extending around to East 

 <l/hop, with an interruption of rocky bottom just opposite West Chop ; 

 dredgings on line 37, a, ft, c, rf, g, h ; 47, , and 48, a, ft, c, d, were made 

 on this area. 



Fifth. In the channel, at the entrance to Great Harbor, off Nonaniesset 

 Island, and partially extending into the harbor, there is more or less 

 gravelly and shelly bottom, frequently alternating with rocks and 

 often composed chiefly of dead shells, (mainly Crejpidula fornicata.) 

 This place is swept by the powerful tidal currents running through 

 Wood's Hole Passage; dredgings at line 3, d, e; 5, e.f,g; 13, a, b; 

 18, a, ft, c, d ; 19, a ; 20, a, ft, and many others not indicated on the chart, 

 were made here. 



Sixth. Another area at the other end of Wood's Hole Passage, north 

 of Hadley Harbor, and extending out into Buzzard's Bay a short dis- 

 tance ; some parts of this region had a smooth hard bottom of fine 

 gravel and sand, or coarse sand ; in other places it was more or less 

 stony : dredgings on line 10, e, /; 11, a, ft, c, d, e, g ; 12, ft, c ; 70, a, 

 ^, c, d ; 71, a, ft, were on these gravelly bottoms. 



Seventh. A shallow region off Cataurnet Harbor, in Buzzard's Bay ; 

 the bottom here was hard gravel and shells, much overgrown with alga3 ; 

 dredgings at line 65, a, ft, and others not indicated, were made here. 



Eighth. At Quick's Hole, in the channel between Nashawena and 

 Pasque Islands, good gravelly bottom was found; di edgings at line 

 45, a, ft; 76, a, ft, c; 77, c, tf, e,/, were on this area. 



Similar bottoms of small extent were also met with in other places. 

 There are also gravelly bottoms in the southwestern part of Vineyard 

 Sound, near its mouth, as off Menemsha, but as these are inhabited by 

 the more northern species of animals, they will be grouped with those of 

 the outside waters. 



The animals of gravelly and shelly bottoms may be burrowing or tube- 

 dwelling species, like many annelids, amphipods, bivalve-shells, &c.; 

 they may be species that adhere directly to the shells and pebbles, like cer- 

 tain hydroids, bryozoa, bivalve-shells, and the numerous ascidians ; the 

 latter are quite as numerous here as upon the rocky bottoms, and for the 

 most part of ihe same species; they may be species that hide among 



