November 9, 1888.] 



SCIENCE. 



Central and South America, Japan, China, Australia ; in short, the 

 entire populations who live upon or near the Pacific and Indian 

 Oceans. 



It is the mission of the ' Albatross ' to explore all the fishing- 

 grounds on the Pacific coast. It is expected that she will remain 

 at work the whole year, except during periods occupied in refitting 

 and repairs, and that three or four years will be spent in completing 

 the work. She will spend the summer in the north, working south- 

 ward as winter approaches. Some of her winter work will be done 

 on the coast of southern California. 



The ' Albatross ' returned to San Francisco Oct. 21, from her 

 first cruise to the north. She had spent about two and one-half 

 months upon the Alaskan fishing-grounds, and one month in the 

 region off Cape Flattery. A very careful series of soundings was 

 made of the grounds visited ; and these, when plotted on charts 

 and represented graphically, will give the contour of a very large 

 fishing-area, to which the attention of fishermen will be called. 

 In addition to this, the regular observations were made to deter- 

 mine the temperatures and densities of the water, the relative 

 abundance of edible fishes on different parts of the banks, the char- 

 acter of the bottom, etc. All kinds of collecting and fishing appli- 

 ances were constantly and successfully used ; and an extensive 

 collection of specimens was secured, which will be studied in the 

 laboratories in Washington, in order to determine the principal natu- 

 ral features of the fishing-grounds. Lieut.-Commander Z. L. Tan- 

 ner, U.S.N., is in charge of the expedition, having commanded the 

 ' Albatross' ever since her construction in 1883. He has been in 

 active service with the Fish Commission about nine years. Mr. C. 

 H. Townsend is the naturalist, and Mr. A.B.Alexander the fishery 

 expert, of the expedition. 



The experimental station at Wood's Holl was kept open during 

 the summer, as usual, from early in July to October. The com- 

 missioner himself was present there during most of the time with 

 Prof. John A. Ryder, in charge of the scientific work. From 

 twelve to fifteen volunteer naturalists, including Prof. W. K. Brooks 

 of Johns Hopkins University, were at work at the Wood's Holl 

 station during most of the time. The steamer ' Albatross ' having 

 gone to the Pacific coast, and regular explorations on the offshore 

 fishing-banks being therefore suspended, the work of the season 

 consisted mainly in a study of embryology with regard to its 

 bearing upon the fish-cultural branch of the Fish Commission's 

 work. Many studies were also made of fishes and their habits in 

 later stages of development. A quantity of English soles had been 

 brought to this country last spring, and had been kept in a com- 

 partment of the laboratory at Wood's Holl. They were planted in 

 Vineyard Sound in October. 



The steamer ■ Fish Hawk ' was employed for about two months 

 in examining the oyster-beds of Providence River, Narragansett 

 Bay, and Long Island Sound near New Haven, with especial refer- 

 ence to the depredations of the star-fish and drill, which are esti- 

 mated to destroy several hundred thousand dollars' worth of oysters 

 every year. The operations were mainly confined to studies of the 

 temperatures and densities of the water on the oyster-beds upon 

 which these pests thrive, and of the inhabitants of the bottom, with 

 a view of ascertaining the conditions of their existence. It is an 

 interesting fact that the star-fish cannot live in fresh water, nor in 

 water that does not contain a considerable quantity of salt. For 

 this reason, no star-fishes infest the oyster-beds of Chesapeake Bay. 



In the early spring of 1886 one of the greatest freshets ever 

 known occurred in Rhode Island. Several inches of snow was on 

 the ground, and beneath this a thick sheet of solid ice. The rain 

 descended as though the flood had come again, carried off the snow, 

 and then, instead of being partially absorbed by the ground, the 

 water all ran down into the streams, converting every one of them 

 into resistless torrents, before which neither dwellings, nor factories, 

 nor bridges, nor railroad-embankments could stand. This immense 

 volume of water all finally found its way into Providence River and 

 Narragansett Bay, and it freshened the water to such an extent 

 that all of the star-fishes perished. In 1887 there were plenty of 

 little star-fishes, but they were too small to do any harm ; but this 

 year they are about as destructive as usual. 



This examination was not carried as far as was desired, on ac- 

 count of a lack of funds. The people of Connecticut and Rhode 



Island, interested in the oyster-fisheries, were very anxious to have 

 a thorough investigation made, and Senator Piatt introduced a bill 

 to pay the expenses of it. The bill was not passed, and the expe- 

 dition last summer was paid for out of the regular funds of the 

 Fish Commission. The investigation will be resumed next sum- 

 mer. No practical method of exterminating the star-fish pest has 

 yet been suggested, except the one now practised of dredging them 

 up, which is enormously expensive. 



Among the most interesting and important divisions of the scien- 

 tific work of the Fish Commission during the past season has been 

 the exploration of the interior rivers and lakes of the country for the 

 purpose of ascertaining what indigenous fishes they contain, and 

 obtaining a knowledge of their physical characteristics. Indeed, 

 this work had a twofold object. Besides that already explained, it 

 was desirable to determine the adaptability of these rivers and lakes 

 to the introduction of new fishes of economic value. Illustrative of 

 the importance of this branch of the work, it may be said that re- 

 quests are frequently received at the Fish Commission office that a 

 certain river or lake be stocked with a particular kind of fish. It 

 cannot be decided whether it will be safe to introduce the fish in- 

 dicated until it is known what the present inhabitants of the stream 

 or lake are, and whether its physical characteristics are favorable 

 or not. It is useless, of course, to put young and tame fishes into 

 water already inhabited by wild, fierce, predaceous fishes. 



The greater part of this work has been conducted under the direc- 

 tion of Pres. David S. Jordan, of the University of Indiana, and one 

 of the most distinguished ichthyologists in the country. His zeal 

 and that of his assistants was not dampened by the fact that they 

 were volunteers, serving without compensation beyond their actual 

 expenses. There are scores of college professors and students ad- 

 vanced in science, who are ambitious to spend the months of their 

 summer vacation in the field, making original investigations. To 

 a majority of such the saving of their expenses is a matter of con- 

 siderable importance, while the Fish Commission secures the ser- 

 vices of men whom it could not afford to hire. The attractiveness 

 of the scientific work of the government, on account of the superior 

 advantages which it offers to those who desire to become special- 

 ists, is shown by the eagerness with which positions to which very 

 small salaries are attached, in the United States Geological Survey, 

 are sought, and also by the fact that positions in the National 

 Museum are sought by hundreds of college graduates who are will- 

 ing to work for salaries that are barely sufficient to pay their board. 



President Jordan spent the entire summer in the field with his 

 parties, personally devoting himself mainly to the rivers of Virginia, 

 eastern Tennessee. North Carohna, and parts of South Carolina 

 and Indiana. In North Carolina he found a virgin field of explo- 

 ration in which he had had no predecessor, and a verj' interesting 

 one it proved to be. Prof. C. H. Gilbert and Dr. J. A. Henshall of 

 Cincinnati carried on a similar kind of work on the Ohio and other 

 rivers of the Ohio valley, and Mr. C. H. Bollman of Indiana was 

 detailed to accompany the party of Michigan explorers sent out by 

 the Fish Commission of that State. Collections and information 

 of the same kind are expected from Illinois, where the naturalists 

 employed by the State were greatly aided by the use of the fish- 

 commission cars, and in return agreed to give to the latter the re- 

 sults of their observations. The relations between the United 

 States Fish Commission and the various State commissions are very 

 cordial, and they are in many ways helpful to each other. 



The schooner 'Grampus' went to the early-mackerel fishing- 

 grounds in the spring for the purpose of observing the arrival of 

 the first shoals of mackerel, and watching their movements as they 

 went north along the coast, and especially the physical changes of 

 the water accompanying those movements. Verj' important results 

 were obtained. In a general way it may be said that the late ar- 

 rival of the mackerel last spring was coincident with the lateness 

 in the season, that the temperature of the water remained low, and 

 that the mackerel-food obtained by the use of the towing-net at the 

 surface was less abundant than usual. Observations of the habits 

 of the mackerel were made by the ' Grampus ' at intervals through- 

 out the season and as late as the middle of October. These ex- 

 tended from the coast of Maine to Cape Hatteras. 



For many years the temperatures of the waters have been recorded 

 by employees of the Lighthouse Board and the Signal Service 



