432 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 
men reported very poor success, having seen but few fish about the 
rocks, and little or no life upon the bottom, which was covered with 
gulf mud. The shore collectors did not fare much better, and, in fact, 
the region was barren and unprofitable. The vessel got under way and 
made several hauls of the trawl during the forenoon in shoal water. 
At 12:30 p. m., the naturalists having returned, we stood further off shore 
and made a haul in 684 fathoms, followed by several more in shoaler 
depths. There was much rocky bottom, which tore the nets without 
giving us much in return. 
The island of Guadeloupe is 14J miles in length, from 3 to 5 miles in 
breadth, and is of volcanic origin, lava cliffs and huge bowlders being 
visible on all sides. Its greatest height is 4,523 feet. There is some 
wood and fresh water on the northern portion of the island, but no 
practicable anchorage occurs at that end. It is inhabited by people who 
have large flocks of goats, which they raise principally for their skins. 
Guadeloupe Island to Alijos Bocks . — At 5.30 p. m. we started for Alijos 
Bocks, running a line of deep-sea soundings en route, and developing 
a maximum depth of 2,165 fathoms. Reaching the rocks on the morn- 
ing of March 2, several hauls of the trawl and dredge were made over 
a rough coralline and rocky bottom, which made sad havoc with the 
nets and yielded very few specimens. The hand lines were put over 
without results. Los Alijos, as they are usually called, are a group of 
rocks surmounting a volcanic elevation, and extend about half a mile 
north and south, and less than a quarter of a mile east and west. There 
are four rocks above water, the southernmost being 112 feet in height, 
the northern one 72 feet, and the other two but a few feet above the 
sea. There was quite an area over which the sea broke very heavily. 
The rocks are entirely barren, their vertical sides preventing the possi- 
bility of landing, even if the surf permitted a near approach. The 
tops of the higher rocks were covered with sea birds. Traditions of a 
large seal rookery led us to the vain hope that the practically extinct 
sea elephant of the California coast might have survived in this re- 
mote region. There was no sign of them, however, and in fact there 
were no rocks accessible to these animals that were not swept by every 
huge sea which constantly broke over them. The rocks are fast crumb- 
ling away through the action of the water. 
Alijos Rocks to Clarion Island.— We left the Alijos at 10:30 a. m. for 
Clarion Island, carrying the line of deep-sea soundings, which reached 
a maximum depth of 2,280 fathoms, 170 miles from the rocks, nearly 
midway between them and the island. An occasional petrel was seen, 
and tropical birds, boobies, etc., were of frequent occurrence. Scatter- 
ing flying fish were observed from time to time, where, in the summer, 
the surface is fairly alive with them. 
The mountain peaks of Clarion Island were made at 9:30 on the morn- 
ing of March 4, at a distance of 41 miles, and at 4 p. m. we anchored 
in Sulphur Bay. Collectors were landed to look over the ground and 
