REPORT OF DEPARTMENT OF MARINE [NVEttTEBRATES. 197 

 tin; i . S. PISH COMMISSION. 



A brief account of those explorations of the Fish Commission for 

 L884 whicb bave been productive of valuable zoological results, now 

 or soon to be Bhared in by the National Museum, will not be out of 

 place in this connection, although reference lias already been made to 

 them under the accessions. 



The steamer Albatross, under command of Lieut. Commander Z. L. 

 Tanner, ('. S. N., continued in act ive service during nearly tbe entile 

 vear. From January to May she was detailed Tor sounding operations 

 in the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea, under the direction of the 

 Hydrographio Bureau of the Navy Department, but was also able to 

 make many dredgingS, and visited several interesting ports, where the 

 naturalists occupied their time to good advantage. Mr. James E. Ben- 

 edict was the naturalist in charge, and was assisted by Mr. Willard 

 Nye, jr., of New Bedford, Mass., who volunteered his services. Sev- 

 eral of the officers also did effective work in the eollecting of specimens. 

 One of the most interesting localities visited was that directly off Ha- 

 vana, on the north side of Cuba, where Poitacrinus is known to occur 

 abundantly, and where numerous specimens of that curious animal 

 were obtained by means of the tangles, the bottom being too rough to 

 permit of the use of any other appliance. Nearly all the other dredg- 

 ings wore made in the Caribbean Sea, and were distributed over many 

 parts of that important zoological region. Fifty- th ree dredgings were 

 math', in depths of 5 to 1,701 fathoms, 20 being in depths greater than 

 200 fathoms. The ports and islands visited, at which shore-collections 

 and shallow-water dredgings from a small boat were made, are as fol- 

 lows: Key West, Fla.j the island of St. Thomas; Jamaica; the island 

 of Old Providence, off the coast of Nicaragua; the island of Curacao, 

 oil" the coast of Venezuela; the town of Sabanilla, United States of 

 Colombia, and San Antonio, Cuba. 



The zoological specimens obtained during this cruise were brought 

 directly to the National Museum, where they were sorted and cata- 

 logued. The Crustacea have been sent to Prof. S. I. Smith, of New 

 Haven, Conn., who writes that they include many exceedingly interest- 

 in- tbrms. The Echini have been worked up by the curator, who will 

 soon report upon them in the Proceedings of the Museum. Of this 

 group L'5 species were obtained, 9 being littoral forms and 16 from depths 

 of 25 to 1,031) fathoms. Mr. Benedict is studying the Annelids, but the 

 other portions of the collection have not yet been referred for examina- 

 tion, although Professor Verrill offers to report upon the Anthozoa, and 

 Prof. L. A. Lee upon the Foramiuifera. 



In July the Albatross resumed her explorations of the eastern coast, 

 which were continued until the latter part of October. During this 

 time the headquarters of the Fish Commission were at Wood's Holl, 

 .Mass., where a permanent summer station has been established. Suit- 

 able wharves and buildings to accommodate the investigating work of 



