PREFACE. 
Soon after Porto Rico came into the possession of the United States the Com- 
mission of Fish and Fisheries made arrangements for an investigation of the waters 
in and about the island with reference to their fauna and their fishery resources; and 
in December, 1898, the steamer Fish Hawk, with a corps of specialists, was sent to 
the island for this purpose, remaining there until the latter part of February, 1899. 
Large collections of water animals were made, the knowledge of the fauna of the 
island and the West Indies in general was greatly extended, and the economic fisheries 
were carefully considered. 
On the return of the expedition the collections were distributed among specialists 
for study and report, with a view to the publication of a comprehensive work on the 
animals of the fresh and salt waters of the region. The meagerness of information 
on this subject and the demand for authentic data which would follow the influx of 
new people and the development of the fishing industry appeared to warrant the 
issuance of a bulletin which would contain descriptions of the animals and illustrations 
of many of the most important ones. 
The specimens representing the following groups were assigned to the persons 
named, whose reports are contained in the two volumes composing the present 
bulletin: 
Fishes: Prof. B. W. Evermann and Mr. M. 0. Marsh, U. S. Fish Commission. 
MollusJcs: Dr. W. H. Dali and Mr. Charles T. Simpson, U. S. National Museum. 
Brachyurans and Macrurans: Miss M. J. Rathbun, U. S. National Museum. 
Anomurans: Dr. James E. Benedict, U. S. National Museum. 
Stomatopods: Dr. Robert P. Bigelow, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 
Isopods: Dr. H. F. Moore, U. S. Fish Commission. 
Cirripeds: Mr. Maurice A. Bigelow, Teachers’ College, Columbia University. 
Polychsetous Annelids: Prof. A. L. Treadwell, Yassar College. 
Leeches: Dr. J. P. Moore, University of Pennsylvania. 
Nemertedns: Dr. Wesley E. Coe, Yale University. 
Echinoderrns: Prof. Hubert L. Clark, Olivet College. 
Alcyonarians: Prof. Charles W. Hargitt, Syracuse University. 
Stony Corals: Mr. T. W. Vaughan, U. S. Geological Survey. 
Actinia, ns: Dr. J. E. Duerden, Institute of Jamaica. 
Sponges: Prof. H. V. Wilson, University of North Carolina. 
Foraminifera: Dr. James M. Flint, U. S. Navy. 
In addition to the foregoing articles, a general report on the investigations is 
given by Prof. B. W. Evermann, who was in charge of the expedition, and a chapter 
on “The fisheries and fish trade of Porto Rico” is contributed by Mr. W. A. 
Wilcox. 
IX 
