﻿6i 
  

  

  have 
  been 
  vying 
  with 
  each 
  other 
  in 
  efforts 
  to 
  find 
  new 
  

   animals. 
  Their 
  activity 
  has 
  been 
  stimulated 
  by 
  the 
  publi- 
  

   cation 
  of 
  lists 
  of 
  their 
  donations 
  in 
  the 
  local 
  papers 
  ; 
  and 
  

   the 
  number 
  of 
  separate 
  lots 
  of 
  specimens 
  received, 
  to 
  the 
  

   present 
  time, 
  exceeds 
  eight 
  hundred. 
  Many 
  of 
  these 
  lots 
  

   are 
  large, 
  consisting 
  of 
  collecting-tanks 
  full 
  of 
  alcoholic 
  

   specimens. 
  At 
  least 
  thirty 
  fishing 
  vessels 
  were 
  carrying 
  

   collecting-tanks 
  on 
  every 
  trip, 
  until 
  it 
  became 
  necessary 
  

   to 
  recal 
  them 
  because 
  no 
  more 
  specimens 
  were 
  required, 
  

   and 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  fishermen, 
  with 
  characteristic 
  superstition, 
  

   had 
  the 
  idea 
  that 
  it 
  ensured 
  good 
  luck 
  to 
  have 
  a 
  tank 
  on 
  

   board, 
  and 
  would 
  not 
  go 
  to 
  sea 
  without 
  one. 
  The 
  number 
  

   of 
  specimens 
  acquired 
  in 
  this 
  manner 
  is 
  at 
  least 
  50,000 
  

   or 
  60,000, 
  most 
  of 
  them 
  belonging 
  to 
  species 
  unattainable. 
  

   Each 
  halibut 
  vessel 
  sets, 
  once 
  or 
  twice 
  daily, 
  lines 
  from 
  ten 
  

   to 
  fourteen 
  miles 
  in 
  length, 
  with 
  hooks 
  upon 
  them 
  fifteen 
  

   feet 
  apart, 
  in 
  water 
  1200 
  to 
  1800 
  feet 
  in 
  depth, 
  and 
  the 
  

   quantity 
  of 
  living 
  forms 
  brought 
  up 
  in 
  this 
  manner, 
  and 
  

   which 
  had 
  never 
  hitherto 
  been 
  saved, 
  is 
  very 
  astonishing. 
  

   Over 
  thirty 
  species 
  of 
  fishes 
  have 
  thus 
  been 
  added 
  to 
  the 
  

   fauna 
  of 
  North 
  America, 
  and 
  Professor 
  Verrill 
  informs 
  me 
  

   that 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  new 
  and 
  extra 
  limital 
  forms 
  thus 
  placed 
  

   upon 
  the 
  list 
  of 
  invertebrates 
  cannot 
  be 
  less 
  than 
  fifty. 
  

  

  The 
  investigation 
  of 
  the 
  statistics 
  and 
  history 
  of 
  the 
  

   fisheries 
  has 
  perhaps 
  assumed 
  greater 
  proportions 
  than 
  was 
  

   at 
  first 
  contemplated. 
  One 
  of 
  the 
  immediate 
  causes 
  of 
  the 
  

   establishment 
  of 
  the 
  Commission 
  was 
  the 
  dissension 
  

   between 
  the 
  line 
  and 
  net 
  fishermen 
  of 
  Southern 
  New 
  

   England 
  with 
  reference 
  to 
  laws 
  for 
  the 
  protection 
  of 
  the 
  

   deteriorating 
  fisheries 
  of 
  that 
  region. 
  The 
  first 
  work 
  of 
  

   Prof. 
  Baird, 
  as 
  Commissioner, 
  was 
  to 
  investigate 
  the 
  causes 
  

   of 
  this 
  deterioration. 
  

  

  Each 
  year 
  increasing 
  attention 
  has 
  been 
  paid 
  to 
  this 
  

  

  