132 KEPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1887. 



been at work upon the Crustacea of the Fish Commission, excepting 

 the Copepoda ; Mr. J. Walter Fewkes, of the Museum of Comparative 

 Zoology, Cambridge, upon the Acalepha ; Prof. L. A. Lee, of Bowdoin 

 College, Maine, upon the Foraminifera ; and Prof. E. Linton, of Wash- 

 ington and Jefferson College, Pennsylvania, and Mr. B. F. Koons, of 

 the Storrs Agricultural School, Connecticut, upon the internal para- 

 sites of fishes. 



The Hon. Theodore Lyman, of Brookline, Massachusetts, continued to 

 give his kindly assistance in determining our collection of Ophiurans, 

 until ill health obliged him to relinquish active work. He has, however, 

 nearly completed the identification of the Albatross specimens collected 

 south of Cape Hatteras, and has made considerable progress with the 

 collections from western North America and Alaska. 



EXPLORATIONS. 



The Fish Commission steamer Albatross, Lieut. Commander Z. L. 

 Tanner, U. S. Navy, commanding, was engaged in explorations from 

 the beginning of the fiscal year until the latter part of October, when 

 she returned to Washington and was laid up for the winter, pending 

 the necessary changes to fit her for the contemplated expedition to the 

 Pacific coast. The first cruise was made duiing July, and a line of 

 dredging was carried across the inner edge of the Gulf Stream slope 

 south of Martha's Vineyard, from a depth of 226 to a depth of 1,137 

 fathoms. The second cruise extended mainly to the eastward of New 

 England, and was undertaken in the joint interests of the Fish Com- 

 mission and Hydrographic Bureau. Sounding was begun August 3, in 

 search of the mythical Hope Bank, about 200 miles south of Halifax, 

 Nova Scotia, but during a three days' search no shallow water could be 

 found, the depths on the reported position of the bank ranging from 1,930 

 to 2,900 fathoms. After leaving Hope Bank a line of soundings was 

 run across the southern edge of the Grand Bank of Newfoundland, and 

 a search was then instituted for another supposed bank, about 200 miles 

 southeast of the Flemish Cap. The shoalest water discovered was 

 1,900 fathom s, the deepest 2,600 fathoms. Five dredge hauls were sub- 

 sequently made on the Flemish Cap, in depths of 72 to 105 fathoms, 

 and one between the Flemish Cap and the Grand Bank in a depth of 

 206 fathoms, after which the Albatross put into St. John's, Newfound- 

 land, for supplies. On the homeward trip five dredgings were made 

 on and south of St. Peter's Bank in depths of 59 to 215 fathoms, two 

 east of Sable Island Bank in 110 to 140 fathoms, and one south of the 

 same bank in 1,255 fathoms. Three days were again spent in sounding 

 for Hope Bank, eighteen casts of the lead being made in depths of 

 1,587 to J, 943 fathoms. Just west of this locality the beam-trawl was 

 hauled twice in 1,099 and 1,188 fathoms, and south of George's Bank 

 three times in 866 to 984 fathoms. 



From September 16 to 20 a second deep-water cruise was taken to the 



