XCII REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



tory organs; the discovery that the reproductive orgaus might be 

 almost or altogether atrophied at the end of the spawning season ; the 

 elucidation of the effects of osmose and its influence in affecting the 

 bulk and appearance of the flesh of the oyster so as to improve or in- 

 jure its appearance for the markets, when immersed for a short time in 

 less dense or denser water than that from which the animal was first 

 taken ; the true nature of the so-called fattening process, the kinds 

 and distribution of the food of the oyster as well as its messmates and 

 parasites. 



Besides the minor papers which Mr. E-yder has issued during the past 

 year upon the subject of oysters and oyster culture he has had prepared 

 under his direction -'A Sketch of the Life-History of the Oyster" for the 

 annual report of the geological survey of the Territories for 1883, be- 

 sides a paper entitled "A Contribution to the Life-History of the Oyster" 

 for the forthcoming quarto fishery report of the U. S. Census. In both 

 of these papers the author has very fully illustrated the anatomy and 

 development of the American oyster with carefully drawn figures. 



D.— ABSTRACT OF THE ARTICLES IN THE APPElJ^DIX. 



26. — CLASSIFICATION OF ARTICLES. 



In the general Appendix to this report will be found a series of forty 

 separate papers treating upon matters relating to the work of the Fish 

 Commission. These are classified under six headings, as follows: 



A. — General. 



The first paper is by Lieut.-Commander Z. L. Tanner, and gives a 

 full account of the construction and outfit of the steamer Albatross, illus- 

 trated by a number of figures and more than fifty plates. It is followed 

 by his report on the work done by the steamer during the year 1883. 

 In this he has included the subordinate reports of Capt. Jacob Almy, 

 Ensign R. H. Miner, Passed Asst. Surg. C. G. Herndon, Lieut. Seaton 

 Schroeder, and various tables of temperatures, specific gravities, speed 

 of trawlings and soundings, stations occupied, &c. A paper by Living-, 

 ston Stone is entitled " Explorations on the Columbia River, from the 

 head of Clarke's Fork to the Pacific Ocean, made in the summer of 

 1883, with reference to the selection of a suitable place for establishing 

 a salmon-breeding station." This is followed by a reprint of the Brstish 

 sea-fisheries act of 1883. 



B.— The Fisheries. 



In this section are found ten papers, the first giving a tabulated esti- 

 mate of the catch of fish of the principal rivers of the United States in 

 1880. This was prepared by Mr. Smiley from material collected during 

 the work on the Tenth Census, and shows a total of 184,783,050 pounds. 



