Oct. 21, 1880] 



NA TURE 



597 



of 20 difTerent islands, besides 1,500 ethnograpliical objects 

 Dr. Hann contributes "Some Results of Recent Meteorological 

 and Hypsometric Observations in Equatorial East Africa;" Col. 

 Mason-Bey, a detailed account of Dar-fur ; and Prof. Ratzel, a 

 paper on the Formation of Fjords in Inland Seas. 



Under the title of "Some Heroes of Travel," the Society for 

 Promoting Christian Knouledge has issued a volume by that 

 versatUe and successful compiler Mr. Davenport Adams. It 

 contains the stories of Marco Polo, G. F. Ruxton (Mexico and 

 the Rocky Mountains), Earth, T. W. Atkinson (Siberia and 

 Central Asia), Miss Tinne, Mr. McGahan, Col. Warbmton, 

 (Australia), Major Burnaby, and Sir Samuel Baker. Mr. 

 Adams seems to have done his work conscientiously, and the 

 book is likely to interest youthful readers and those fond of 

 tales of adventure. 



Vol. v. of Dr. Robert Brown's "Countries of the World" 

 (Cassell) includes Siberia, the Chinese Empire, Burmah, and 

 the other countries of the Indo-Chine.-e peninsula, India and 

 neighbouring countries. Central Asiatic States, Russian Central 

 Asia, and Persia. The new volume is quite up to the mark of 

 the previous ones, and the numerous illustrations are well selected. 

 M. E. S. Zeb.\i.los, writing from Buenos Ayres to V Explo- 

 ration, states that he has returned from the exploration of the 

 Pampas of the Argentine Republic, and instead of finding them 

 the featureless dead level which they are usually described, he 

 discovered majestic mountains, lakes, rivers, and other features, 

 which wiU materially change the map of South America. M. 

 Zeballos kept minute records of his expedition, topographical, 

 descriptive, scientific, meteorological, &c., which we hope will 

 be placed w-ithin the reach of European geographers. 



In the last number of the Bulktin of the Eastern Siberian 

 (Iskulsk) Section of the Russian Geographical Society is the 

 continuation of the Report of M. Tcherski of the results of his 

 three years geological e.xploration of the neighbourhood of Lake 

 Baikal. 



The fourth Belgian expedition, under Capt. Raemackers, 

 had got well into Central Africa from Bagamoyo by the end of 

 August. 



THE FIRST DECADE OF THE UNITED 

 STATES FISH COMMISSION— ITS PLAN OF 

 WORK AND ACCOMPLISHED RESULTS, 

 SCIENTIFIC AND ECONOMICAL 1 



THERE are now no less than nine departments of the Govern- 

 ment devoted, in part or wholly, to researches in pure and 

 applied science— the Geological Survey, the Coast and Geodetic 

 Survey, the Naval Observatory, the National Museum, the De- 

 partment of Agriculture, the Entomological Commission, the 

 Tenth Census, with its special agencies for the study of the 

 natural resources of the country, the Smithsonian Bureau of 

 Ethnology, and the Commission of Fish and Fisheries. The 

 Smithsonian lustiUition, established upon an indei^endent founda- 

 tion, should also be mentioned, as well as the Medical Museum 

 of the Army and the various laboratories under the control of the 

 Aniiy and Navy Departments. 



The Geological Survey is not now cairying on any of the 

 schemes of zoological and botanical investigation engaged in by 

 its predecessors. 



The work of the Entomological Commission and that of the 

 Census, though of extreme importance, are limited in scope and 

 duration, whUe that of the Agricultural Department is necessarily, 

 for the most part, economical. 



The work of the National Museum is chiefly confined to the 

 study of collections made by Government Surveys, or individual 

 collectors, as sent in to be reported upon. 



The work of the Fish Commission, in one of its aspects, may 

 perhaps be regarded as the most prominent of the present efforts 

 of the Government in aid of aggressive biological research. 



On the 9th of February, 1S71, Congress passed a joint resolu- 

 tion which authorised the appointment of a Commissioner of 

 Fish and Fisheries. Prof. Baird, at that time Assistant-Secretary 

 of the Smithsonian Institution, was appointed, and entered at 

 once upon his duties. 



The summer of iSSo marks the tenth season -of active work 

 since its inception in 1871. The Fish Commission now fills a 

 place tenfold more extensive and useful than at first. The 

 present essay aims to show, in a general w.ay, what it has done, 



' Read before the American Association for the Advancement of Science, 

 Boston, August 28. 1880, by G. Bro\vn Goode. 



is doing, and expects to do — its purposes, its methods, its 

 results. 



The work is naturally divided into three sections — 



1. The systematic investigation of the waters of the United 

 States and of the biological and physical problems which they 

 present. — In making his original plans the Commissioner insisted 

 that to study only the food-fishes would be of little importance, 

 and that useful conclusions must needs rest upon a broad founda- 

 tion of investigations purely scientific in character. The life- 

 history of species of economic value should be understood from 

 beginning to end, but no less requisite is it to know the histories 

 of the animals and plants upon which they feed, or upon which 

 their food is nourished ; the histories of their enemies and friends, 

 and the friends and foes of their enemies and frien.ls, as well as 

 the currents, temperatures, and other physical phenomena of the 

 waters in their relation to migration, reproduction, and growth. 

 A necessary accompaniment to this division is the amas--ing of 

 material for research to be stored in the National and other 

 Museums for future use. 



2. The investigation of the methods of the fisheries of the past 

 and present, and the statistics of production and commerce in 

 fishery products. — Man being one of the chief destroyers of fish, 

 his influence upon their abundance must be studied. Fishery- 

 methods and apparatus must be examined and compared with 

 those of other lands, that the use of those which threaten the 

 destruction of useful fishes may be discouraged, and that those 

 which are inefficient may be replaced by others more serviceable. 

 Statistics of industry and trade must be secured for the use of 

 Congress in making treaties or imposing tariffs, to show to pro- 

 ducers the best markets, and to consumers where and with what 

 their needs may be supplied. 



3. The introduction and multiplication of useful food-fishes 

 throughout the country, especially in waters under the jurisdic- 

 tion of the general Government, or those common to several 

 States, none of which might feel wilUng to make expenditures 

 for the benefit of the others. 



Although activity in this direction may be regarded in the 

 light of applied rather than pure scientific work, it is particularly 

 important to the biologist, since it affords opportunities for 

 investigating many new problems in physiology and embryology. 

 Since the important fisheries centre in New England the coast 

 of this district has been the seat of the most active operations 

 in marine research. For ten years the Commis-ioner, with a 

 party of specialists, has devoted the smnmer season to work at 

 the shore at various stations along the coast from Connecticut to 

 Nova Scotia. A suitable place having been selected, a tempo- 

 rary laboratory is fitted up with the necessary appliances for 

 collecting and study. In this are placed from ten to tw-enty 

 tables each occupied by an investigator, either an officer of the 

 Comniission or a volunteer. From 1873 to 1879 important aid 

 was rendered by the Secretary of the Navy, wlio detailed for 

 this service a steamer to be used in dredging and trawling, and 

 this year the steamer built expressly for the Commission is 

 employed in the same manner.^ 



The rei'alar routine of operations at a summer station includes 

 all the various forms of activity known to naturalists : collecting 

 along the shore, seining upon the beaches, setting traps for 

 animals not otherwise to be obtained, and scrapmg with dredge 

 and trawl the bottom of the sea at depths as great as can be 

 reached by a steamer in a trip of three days. In the laboratory 

 are carried on the usual structural and systematic studies, the 

 preparation of museum specimens and of reports. Since the 

 organisation of the Commission the deep-sea work and the 

 investigation of invertebrate animals has been under the charge 

 of ProK Verrill, who had for many years before the Commission 

 was established been studying independently the invertebrate 

 fauna of New England. 



In addition to what has been done at the summer station, 

 more or less exhaustive investigations have been carried on by 

 smaller parties on many parts of the coast and in interior waters. 



lisasfoUows:-- 



■ The number of dredging and trawling stations c 



1871. Wood's HoU 



1872. Eastport. 200 by hand, 36 by s 



1873. Portland 



r874. Noank 



1875. Wood's Holt 



1877. Salem -, 

 „ Halifax I 



1878. Gloucester ( 



1879. Provincetown } 



The number of seine hauls is about 600. 



236 



