BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 
3 
named after him. In three or four of these Mortimer ship-aquaria he 
succeeded in safely landing live young soles out of nine that were 
shipped, or a proportion of over 50 per cent. These were provided by 
and sent from this Museum, and were deposited by Mr. Eugene G. 
Blackford just outside of Sandy Hook. This amount of success pointed 
to at least one promising method of solving the problem how to get 
soles alive across the Atlantic, and the trial in this case was the more 
severe inasmuch as it took place in a slow-sailing cargo ship, and not 
in a steamer. It had the great advantage, however, of Captain Mor- 
timer’s unremitting attention. 
During the present autumn (1885) Mr. W. A. Duncan, of the firm of 
Duncan & Sons, fish-merchants at St. John’s Market, Liverpool, being 
about to spend a few weeks in the United States, informed me that he 
contemplated taking some live soles with him. They were to be care- 
fully collected by his own trawlers, and he was anxious respecting the 
best method of transport, about which he was desirous of consulting 
me. On due consideration, he ordered a Supply of fish globes and 
slung them up on Captain Mortimer’s plan. Circumstances, however, 
prevented him from carrying out his intention, and he had reluctantly 
to give it up. 
By permission of the Liverpool Library and Museum Committee, I 
had placed half a dozen small soles, from the Museum aquaria (where 
they had become u seasoned” and accustomed to confinement), together 
with one of Mr. Duncan’s own specimens, in Mortimer aquaria, with a 
desire to take advantage of Mr. Duncan’s kind offices in bringing some- 
thing in return for them on his voyage home. Being desirous of add- 
ing to our American specimens by way of exchange, I applied to Mr. 
W. S. Graves, who, on behalf of the White Star line, kindly gave per- 
mission for half a dozen globes to be shipped immediately before sail- 
ing, on October 8, 1885, by the steamer Britannic, under the com- 
mand of Capt. Hamilton Perry. The six globes, with two soles in each, 
were delivered on board by Mr. R. Paden, Museum assistant, and by 
Captain Perry’s direction were suspended in the saloon, and open, of 
course, to constant observation. My only fear, on hearing of their 
being so honorably placed, was lest the temperature might be too high. 
Great, however, was my satisfaction, on going on board immediately on 
the return of the Britannic to Liverpool, to hear that of the supposed 
dozen specimens three had died, and eleven had been delivered alive 
and in good condition. This report, though so eminently satisfactory, 
was, to say the least, somewhat puzzling. The discrepancy in numbers 
was, however, due to a couple of fish having so effectually buried them- 
selves in the bed of sand, with which each aquarium is supplied, as to 
be unobserved when the census was taken before leaving the Museum. 
This result is equal to more than 78 per cent, delivered alive. 
A report in the American Angler, published in New York on the 24th 
of October, states that ^ these soles are to be seut to the Cold Spring 
