DEPAETMENT OF MARINE INVERTEBRATES. 123 



mission have, however, been stored at ISfew Haven, in charge of Pro- 

 fessor Verrill, who has also sent the specimens in his keeping to Mr. 

 Fewkes. 



A few recent additions to the collection of fresh-water crayfishes {As- 

 tacidcB) were sent to Prof. Walter Faxon, of Harvard College, in April, 

 for identification, and have since been returned by him, together with a 

 complete list of all the species and specimens of this group belonging 

 to the Museum, for publication in the "Proceedings." 



Collections have been sent out for study, during the past six months, 

 as follows : 



To Prof. A. E. Verrill, New Haven, Conn., 603 packages of Mollusks 

 collected by the steamer Albatross, off the eastern coast of the United 

 States, in the fall of 1884. To Prof. S. I. Smith, New Haven, Conn., 43 

 packages of Crustaceans, obtained in the Gulf of Mexico, in 1884, by 

 tlie steamer Albatross. To Mr. J. Walter Fewkes, Cambridge, Mass., 

 35 packages of Medusse, mostly from the collections of the steamer Al- 

 batross during 1884 and the spring of 1885. To Prof. Walter Faxon, 

 Cambridge, Mass., _ 4 packages of Astacidce (crayfishes) from various 

 sources. To Prof. Sven Loven, director of the Royal Swedish Museum, 

 Stockholm, Sweden, a specimen of Echinus {Phyllacanthus gigantea) for 

 special study. 



EXPLORATIONS. 



The principal explorations by which this department has been bene- 

 fited during the past half year, have been those made by the Fish Com- 

 mission steamer Albatross in the Gulf of Mexico and off the coast of the 

 Soutliern Atlantic States. 



The steamer Albatross, Lieut. Commander Z. L. Tanner, U. S. N., 

 commanding, left Norfolk, Ya., the first part of January, for tbe pur- 

 pose of exploring the fishing grounds located in the Gulf of Mexico, off 

 the southern coast of the United States. On the trip to Key West, ob- 

 servations were made by means of trawl-lines and the beam-trawl off 

 the coast of South Carolina, in depths of 80 to 100 fathoms ; and on the 

 return trip from Key West to Washington several lines of serial tem- 

 peratures were carried out from the capes of Virginia across the area 

 in whicTi* the schools of mackerel and menhaden first make their ap- 

 pearance in their spring migrations towards the north. At Key West, 

 the important fishing interests centering at that place were studied 

 with great care, and thence the Albatross proceeded to Havana, Cuba, 

 spending about four days on the famous Pe/itecrmM.s ground, located off' 

 Havana light, a portion of the party at the same time I'uaking a brief 

 examination of the fisheries and fishing craft of that region. The next 

 localities visited were the island of Cozumel and Campeclie Bank, off 

 Yucatan, where seines, hand-lines, and the beam-trawl were employed 

 in making collections of fishes and other marine animals. The remain- 

 der of the cruise, excepting about two weeks spent at New Orleans, was 



