No. 462.] THE SKATE FOR ANATOMICAL STUDY. 367 
whereas dogfish can be taken in abundance only during June, 
July, and August, and sometimes in September. No dogfish 
are to be caught, he says, from the first of December to the 
first of May. Also in reply to inquiries of mine, Dr. F. B. 
Sumner, director of the laboratory of the Woods Hole station of 
the United States Bureau of Fisheries, states (largely, he says, 
on the authority of Mr. Vinal Edwards, collector for the station) 
that skates can be taken in the vicinity of Woods Hole at any 
time of year except in January, February, and March. Smooth 
dogfish (Mustelus canis) “can be taken in considerable numbers 
from the latter part of June till November first, being most 
abundant soon after their appearance late in June,” while spiny 
dogfish (Squalus acanthias) are abundant only in May and early 
June. Neither species of dogfish can be taken in that region 
from the middle of November until the first of May. Similar 
statements as to the occurrence of dogfish and skates are made 
by Dr. Hugh M. Smith (98) in his list of “The Fishes Found 
in the Vicinity of Woods Hole." 
It appears from the foregoing statements that, so far as the 
New England coast is concerned, fresh skates, suitable for injec- 
tion purposes, may be had throughout the greater part of the 
year, or possibly throughout the whole year, while fresh dogfish 
can be obtained during not more than five, or possibly six, 
months of the year. Furthermore, the dogfish are most abun- 
dant and most easily taken during the summer months when 
they are least wanted for laboratory purposes in schools and 
colleges, except as they may be preserved then and stored for 
future use. To be sure, dogfish may be collected and injected 
in the summer and preserved for use later in the year. But, to 
my mind, there are serious objections to giving a student his 
animals already injected. He should make his own injections. 
The injecting of the animal which he'is to dissect gives the 
student information which he will not get so well in any other 
way, besides being a valuable means of developing skill in 
operating. 
As regards the practicability of shipping fresh elasmobranch 
material to points distant from the coast, there is no sufficient 
reason why, in these days of rapid transportation, such material 
