396 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXXVIII. No. 977 



tors engaged in the scientific and economic 

 problems of tlie Bureau and to independent 

 workers. Following is a brief summary of the 

 work of the station and some of the results 

 attained during the year 1912. 



The laboratory continued its cooperation 

 with the U. S. "Weather Bureau, keeping a 

 daily record of the maximum and minimum 

 temperatures, precipitation (rain and melted 

 snow), etc. These data were forwarded 

 monthly to the Raleigh office. 



Greatly needed improvements to grounds 

 and buildings were begun during the year. 

 The library was removed from the crowded 

 laboratory to new quarters on the museum 

 floor, and its contents are being arranged and 

 catalogued according to the system used in the 

 Washington office. A large number of state 

 and other reports were received during the 

 year, scientific works adapted to the needs of 

 the station have been ordered, and an attempt 

 is being made to assemble all publications re- 

 lating to the fauna and flora of the region. 

 All investigators who have or are publishing 

 such papers are urged to forward separates to 

 the library. 



The cultural experiments with the diamond- 

 back terrapin were continued with marked suc- 

 cess, and the feasibility of terrapin culture on 

 a commercial basis is practically assured. The 

 1912 brood numbered over 1,220, more than 

 three times as many as in 1911, and indica- 

 tions are that for the stock of adults on hand 

 the maximum has not been reached. This 

 brood, with those of 1911, 1910 and 1909, 

 makes a total of over 1,900 young terrapin 

 hatched in the enclosures at the laboratory. 

 In the fall of 1911 and spring of 1912, 66 

 adult terrapin from Texas were purchased, 

 and from the eggs laid by these a sufficient 

 number of young were obtained to begin the 

 experimental work with this form. Professor 

 W. P. Hay had general supervision of much of 

 this work. 



It is the purpose of the laboratory to collect 

 all possible data bearing on the fishes of the 

 South Atlantic region, to conduct fish-cultural 

 experiments to show the feasibility of increas- 

 ing the annual yield by artificial propagation. 



and to add to knowledge of the life-histories of 

 as many forms as possible. As a basis for this 

 work, the compilation of all existing informa- 

 tion on the local fishes has been undertaken. 

 A card catalogue of species and a systematic 

 list with synonymy of published references for 

 the region are practically completed, about 235 

 species being represented. 



In an examination of old collections in the 

 laboratory several examples of a mad-tom, 

 Schilbeodes gyrinus (Mitchill), from Lake 

 Mattamuskeet, N. C, were found. This is be- 

 lieved to be the first record south of the Poto- 

 mac River at Washington, D. C. Two addi- 

 tional species not previously reported from. 

 North Carolina were taken during the summer. 

 The first, a galeid-shark, Hypoprion hreviros- 

 iris Poey, represented by two examples, had 

 been reported as far north as Charleston, S. C. ; 

 one specimen was 7^ feet long, the largest re- 

 corded. A southern sting-ray, Dasyaiis sabina 

 (Le Sueur), was also taken. This species ap- 

 pears to be quite abundant and has probably 

 been confused heretofore with small examples 

 of some of the other species. An example of 

 CarcharMnus acronotus (Poey), the second 

 record for the coast, was also obtained. A fine 

 example of the interesting ray Mohula olfersi 

 (Muller & Henle) was presented to the labo- 

 ratory by Mr. Russell J. Coles. 



On July 26, 1912, a beaked whale (Meso- 

 plodon) 16 feet long was stranded on Bird 

 Island Shoal in the harbor. The head, tail 

 and one of the pectoral fins were sent to the 

 U. S. National Museum, where Dr. F. W. True 

 found it to be an undescribed species and has 

 since given to it the name M. mirum.^ 



The investigators and independent workers 

 have furnished the data on which the follow- 

 ing brief summary of their work is based : 



Professor W. P. Hay who, during July, 

 August and September, continued his work on 

 the propagation of the diamond-back terrapin, 

 also spent considerable time on the study of 

 the crustacean fauna of the Beaufort region, 

 and began a series of experiments on the arti- 

 ficial propagation of the loggerhead turtle. 



' Smitlisonian Misc. Coll., Vol. 60, No. 25, March 

 14, 1913. 



