Agassiz — Albatross Expedition to the Eastern Pacific. 367 



Art. XXXIX. — On the Progress of the Albatross Expedition 

 to the Eastern Pacific ; by Alexander Agassiz. 



[Extract from a letter to Hon. George M. Bowers, U. S. Fish Commissioner, 

 dated Acapulco, Mexico, February 24, 1905.] 



We left the Galapagos (Wreck Bay) for Manga Reva on 

 the 10th of January. On the northern part of this line we did 

 but little work beyond sounding as we were likely to duplicate 

 our- former work to the eastward. The fourth day out, in 

 latitude 5 9 south, we began a series of trawl hauls, surface 

 hauls, and intermediate towings to 300 fathoms. In the 

 northern part of the line to Manga Reva the hauls were 

 remarkably rich as long as we remained within the influence of 

 the western extension of the Humboldt Current, and as long as 

 there dropped from the surface masses of the radiolarians, dia- 

 toms and Globigerinse living in the upper waters. Some of 

 the hauls were remarkable for the number of deep-sea holo- 

 thurians and siliceous sponges. Among the former I may 

 mention a huge Psychropotes, 55 cm long. 



As we passed south and gradually drew out of the influence 

 of the western current, we entered the same barren region we 

 passed through to the eastward when going to and from Easter 

 Island. By the time we reached latitude 15° S., the hauls 

 became quite poor ; this barren bottom district extended to 

 within a short distance of Manga Reva ; corresponding to 

 it we found a most meager pelagic fauna, both at the surface 

 and down to 300 fathoms — so poor that it could afford but 

 little food to the few species, if any, living on the bottom in. 

 that region. 



We arrived at Manga Reva on the 27th of January and 

 found our collier awaiting our arrival. 



While at anchor in Fort Rikitea, we examined Manga Reva, 

 the principal island of the Gambier group, from its central 

 ridge on the pass leading from Rikitea to Kirimiro on the 

 west side of Manga Reva, as well as from the pass leading to 

 Taku. On both these passes we obtained excellent views of 

 the barrier reef to the west, north and east of the Gambier 

 Islands, and we could trace in the panorama before us the 

 western reef extending in a northeasterly direction parallel to 

 the general trend of Manga Reva Island for a distance of about 

 5J- miles. 



From the northern horn to nearly opposite Kirimiro Bay 

 the barrier reef has only three small islets ; it is narrow, of 

 uniform width, about -J- of a mile, plainly defined, submerged 

 in places, and passing north bounds a large noi'thern bight 

 dotted with numerous interior coral patches from a quarter of 



