April 21, 1905.] 



SCIENCE. 



631 



and man. A full report will appear soon in 

 one of the current journals. 



At the meeting on the evening of the seven- 

 teenth of March Mr. E. D. Congdon addressed 

 the meeting on ' Some Zoological Impi-essions 

 of the Bermudas.' Mr. Congdon's abstract of 

 his report follows: 



In company with some thirty other students 

 of biology, I had the pleasure of spending part 

 of the summer of 1903 at the Bermuda Biolog- 

 ical Station. We were under the supervision 

 of Dr. E. L. Mark, of the Harvard department 

 of zoology, and Dr. Bristol, of New York Uni- 

 versity. We were comfortably lodged at 

 Hotel Frascati on the outlet of Harrington 

 Sound, midway in the southern shore of the 

 island. No spot could have been found more 

 accessible to the good collecting grounds of 

 the beach, the reefs and the sound. The 

 steam launch and the carryalls supplied trans- 

 portation to the places chosen for each day's 

 exploration. The trips were so planned as to 

 include all of the diverse collecting grounds 

 of the islands. Those who were investigating 

 particular subjects were aided in every way to 

 find the material they required. 



Time was about equally divided between 

 the reefs and the beach. The whiteness of 

 the coral sand and the clearness and warmth 

 of the water made the search easy and alto- 

 gether agreeable. Among other interesting 

 forms, Balanoglossus occurs in restricted lo- 

 calities along the beach. The dredge brought 

 up from the bottom of Harrington inlet a 

 goodly amount of Amphioxus. MoUusca are 

 well represented in species and individuals 

 and include four classes. An Aplysius, a 

 tectibranch devoid of shell, could be found by 

 scores in sheltered coves. Sometimes when 

 disturbed they emit a violet fluid which may 

 well serve as a protection, as it diffuses through 

 the water. An exciting encounter with an 

 Octopus vulgaris occurs to mind. It resented 

 the advances of a too inquisitive biologist by 

 jerking an oar from his hand. It finally es- 

 caped by its power to imitate the exact shade 

 of any brown or gray rock upon which it comes 

 to rest. The grouper, a common Bermuda 

 fish, shows a similar ability to adapt its color 



to that of its surroundings through a consid- 

 erable range of colors. 



The Ccelenterata are the most characteristic 

 group of animals along shore. The Bermuda 

 anemone, Actinia mesemhryanthemum, at- 

 tracts collectors by its large size and the 

 beauty of its variable coloring. In restricted 

 localities where there is considerable tidal cur- 

 rent the hydroids Eudendrium ramosum and 

 Pennaria tiarella are abundant. A small and 

 beautiful Eudendrium previously unrecorded 

 was found in a single cove, on the south shore. 

 Including the forms which come in on the 

 drifting Sargassum, at least eighteen species 

 occur. The beaches of coral sand are dotted 

 with corals of the genera Isophyllia, Moeandra 

 and others. 



The life of the coral reefs is abundant and 

 beautiful. One would not suspect that Ber- 

 muda is the northernmost of coral islands. 

 The Gorgonia, Porites, Millepora, Oculina, to- 

 gether with ascidia, sponges and algse furnish 

 bright and contrasted colors. Movement is 

 given to the coral gardens by the reef fishes 

 with their predominantly blue, black and yel- 

 low coloring. 



A series of small round half submerged 

 islands occurring along the south shore are of 

 organic origin. Their substructure is of coral 

 sandstone and is honeycombed by the waves. 

 Their surfaces have been encrusted by the 

 tubes of SerpuliB, which in the course of 

 growth have given the islands their charac- 

 teristically round form. The waves of the 

 open Atlantic pouring into their cavities 

 render fitting their local name, ' the boilers.' 

 Though difiBcult of access in the quietest sea, 

 they well repay the attention of the collector. 



Thirty miles south of Bermuda lie banks 

 described but not explored by the Challenger 

 expedition. Two days of intense interest were 

 spent fishing and dredging over this virgin 

 territory. Fish were so abundant as to rob 

 their capture of half its zest. The typical 

 blue coloring of the surface fish fauna was 

 noticeable. The red snapper and a few other 

 fishes suggested the coloring of the zone of 

 rose red algae. 



The dredge brought up among algae, echino- 

 derms and hydroids two specimens of the 



