11 



at the surface and at moderate depths, which I hoped to make 

 an important feature of the expedition, was quite limited, owing 

 to the continuous unfavorable weather we encountered. Still we 

 made sufficient use of the deep-sea Tanner towing-net to confirm 

 in general the results at which I had arrived while on the 

 "Albatross," in 1891, regarding the limited bathymetrieal range 

 of the pelagic fauna. I may mention as one of the interesting 

 catches a pelagic Amphioxus, of which the specimens we collected 

 were sent to Professor Lankester for examination. Mr. Meyer 

 devoted his time mainly to the study of the Acalephs collected 

 during our trip. 



To Dr. Theo. W. Richards, and to Mr. Churchill of the Class 

 of 1893, I am indebted for many analyses of the rocks and 

 bottoms, and to Professor Wolff for kindly preparing slides of 

 some of the more interesting aeolian rocks from the Bahamas. 

 The report of this reconnoissance of the Bahamas is well un- 

 der way. 



It is hoped that some arrangement may yet be made between 

 the representatives of the leading Universities and the Fish Com- 

 missioner by which the exceptional facilities for marine research 

 now existing at the Fish Commission Station at Wood's Holl may 

 be made available for original investigation. It has been suggested 

 that the Commission should continue to carry on the station as it 

 now does, and supply to capable naturalists representing the Uni- 

 versities or independent specialists the mass of material which it 

 cannot afford to have worked up. The Fish Commission can hardly 

 be expected to devote any part of its limited appropriation on ex- 

 penditures which have no direct bearing on the practical side of the 

 fishery question. An extensive and expensive plant has been built 

 up at Wood's Holl, which it seems useless to duplicate. It is more 

 than is needed for the purposes of the Fish Commission. At least 

 twenty persons properly qualified could be supplied with all they 

 need for original work, provided these persons represented an out- 

 side interest able to carry on those investigations which are not 

 directly in the line of the work of the Fish Commission, but which 

 yet may prove of great value to it. By allowing the leading 

 Universities to subscribe to a fund which should be sufficiently 

 large to relieve the Commission of its purely scientific work, 

 and to afford sufficient means for its publication, fifteen such 

 subscribers might be found to bring together such a fund, and 



