the Caribbean Sea, along the Windward Islands, from St. Thomas 

 to Trinidad, and the season's work was completed at Barbadoes. 

 Our success was great ; for, thanks to the experience gained 

 during a former season, there were none of the* delays incidental 

 to new work. The " Blake" was fitted for sea by her former 

 commander, Lieut.-Commander C. D. Sigsbee, and it was my 

 good fortune to find on board the majority of the officers with 

 whom I sailed in the winter of 1877-78. Lieutenant W. 0. 

 Sharrer was the executive officer, and I have to thank him and 

 the other officers for their cordial interest and efficient assistance. 

 I was, as usual, accompanied by Mr. Garman. Although we spent 

 but three months in dredging, the collections made are undoubt- 

 edly the most important and largest ever made on this coast, and, 

 with those of former expeditions sent out under the auspices of 

 the Coast Survey, make our deep-sea collections but little inferior 

 to those of the " Challenger." We occupied during this season 

 no less than 200 stations, and made over 230 hauls from the 

 100-fathom line to a depth of 2412 fathoms. For the details of 

 our cruise I would refer to my Preliminary Report to the Super- 

 intendent of the Coast Survey, published in the Museum Bulletin 

 (Vol. V. No. 14, Letter No. 3, May, 1879). 



The collections have all been assorted into the groups destined 

 for the specialists who are to work them up. The Mollusks have 

 already been sent to Mr. Dall, the Sponges to Professor Oscar 

 Schmidt, who will thus soon finish his monograph on the Sponges 

 of the Gulf of Mexico, of which the first part has been issued. 

 This memoir is to be a complete report on the Sponges collected 

 by the " Blake " expeditions. The Corals, Echini, Alcyonoids, and 

 Ophiurans have been submitted to Messrs. Pourtales, Lyman, and 

 Agassiz. The Fishes have been sent to Dr. Steindachner, and 

 during the fall the Crustacea, Annelids, and Star-fish will be 

 forwarded to Professors Alph. Milne-Edwards, E. Ehlers, and 

 Perrier, who will incorporate this new material in the mono- 

 graphs they are preparing, based upon the collections of the first 

 " Blake " expedition, already in their hands. 



The exploration of the past winter plainly shows that we can- 

 not expect very many novelties from the deeper waters of the 

 Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico ; and although undoubtedly 

 much remains to be done within the belt included between the 

 100 and 350 fathom line, the main characteristics of the deep- 



