178 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1888. 



National Museum, and in part to Professors Verrill and Smith, at Yale 

 College, for further study. After remaining about a month at Wood's 

 Holl to complete repairs, the Albatross returned to Washington, and on 

 November 21 left Norfolk on the long contemplated trip to the North 

 Pacific Ocean, The steamer was in command of Lieut. Commander 

 Z. L. Tanner, U. S, Navy, as heretofore, with Prof, Leslie A. Lee in 

 charge of the civilian scientific staff, assisted by Mr, Thomas Lee and 

 Mr. Charles H. Townseud, as naturalists, and Mr. Dennis Cole, as pre- 

 parator. In view of the interesting character of the region through 

 which the steamer would pass on the voyage of several months, it was 

 planned to have her undertake as much scientific work on the way as 

 could be accomplished without unduly prolonging the cruise or prevent- 

 ing the steamer arriving at San Francisco in time for the summer ex- 

 plorations on the northern coasts. Dredgings were to be made occa- 

 sionally, and the naturalists were to be allowed to make collections at 

 each of the coaling ports, as well as at a few other localities, paying 

 special attention, however, to the economic fishes and fishery methods, 

 wherever they stopped. The following places were visited, and at 

 nearly all of them large quantities of valuable material bearing upon 

 the natural history of the region were obtained : The island of Santa 

 Lucia, in the West Indies ; Bahia, the Abrolhos Islands, Montevideo ; 

 Sandy Point, and other localities in the Straits of Magellan; Lota, 

 Panama, the Galapagos Islands, Acapulco, and La Paz. A series of 

 dredgings was carried through the Straits of Magellan, the inland 

 passage being made from the eastern entrance to Port Otway, Chili. 

 The trip to the Galapagos Islands wa« attended with very successful 

 results, and in addition to a large miscellaneous collection of marine and 

 land animals and plants made there, the naturalists secured fourteen 

 living specimens of the interesting land tortoises which are peculiar to 

 those islands, where they are now becoming exceedingly rare. They 

 were transported safely to San Francisco and are now in tbe zoological 

 garden of the National Museum at Washington. Collections of the 

 shore fishes of the outer coast of Lower California were also obtained 

 by seining at several places. 



The total number of dredging stations made during the voyage was 

 ninety-one, the depths of water ranging from 5^ to 1,379 fathoms. 

 Twenty-four stations, with depths of 10 to 1,019 fathoms, were in the 

 Atlantic Ocean between the West Indies and the eastern entrance to the 

 Straits of Magellan ; fifteen, with depths of 17 to 449 fathoms, were in 

 the Straits of Magellan; and fifty-two, with depths of 5 J to 1,379 fathoms, 

 were in the Pacific Ocean between Port Otway and San Francisco. 



The Albatross arrived at San Francisco May 14, and at once began 

 preparations for the Alaskan cruise, on which she sailed July 4. The 

 collections made during the voyage from Norfolk to San Francisco were 

 shipped overland to Washington. They filled over one hundred large 

 cases, and were received in the very best condition. The fishes, marine 



