GENERAL REPORT ON INVESTIGATIONS IN PORTO RICO. 
19 
fishing seems to be carried on here, chiefly in the mouth of the Rio Grande de Areeibo 
and along the beach in front of the city. No collecting was done here by us, but a 
few species were obtained from the local fishermen, among them Elops saurus, Auxin 
thazard , Vomer gabonensis, Conodon nobilis, and Micropogon furnieri. 
Aguadilla. — The Fish ITawk spent but one day (January 18) at this place, dredg- 
ing in the harbor (stations 6055 and 6056), while two shore parties did seining and other 
collecting at various places near the town, between Punta Borinquen and the mouth 
of Rio Culebrinas. Just above the town the shore is very rocky and abrupt. There 
is no beach, and it is possible to get along only by crawling among or over the lai’ge 
and wave-worn rock masses rising abruptly from water several feet deep and upon 
which the waves are constantly dashing. These rocks were thickly covered with 
several species of small gasteropods (chiefly Nerita peleronta and related species) and 
a large species of Chiton. 
In the bay in front of the town the water increases in depth quite rapidly, so that 
the use of small collecting seines (50 to 150 feet long) was not very satisfactory. The 
beach, however, is sandy, and the seines were hauled with fair success. Farther down 
the beach the depth increased more gradually and the seine collecting was somewhat 
more satisfactory. Opposite the Columbus monument (marking the spot where 
Columbus is supposed to have landed November 17, 1-193) the surf was too strong 
and successful collecting could not be done; but nearer the town were found some 
shoals covered with algae and other vegetation, where fishes and crustaceans were 
fairly abundant and good collecting was had, though considerable annoyance was 
caused by the seine persistently catching on the rocks. A number of food-fishes were 
obtained from the native fishermen, and on a visit which Mr. Marsh made to Aguadilla 
by rail from Mayaguez, on January 22, several additional species were obtained. 
Mayaguez. — Mayaguez Harbor proved to be an excellent collecting-ground, and 
all four lines of investigation were carried on successfully each day during the stay 
at this place (January 19 to 23). The vessel made dredging stations 6057 to 6071, 
and two shore parties were usually at work. Various good collecting-grounds were 
found. Perhaps the best was about the mouth of a little creek just above the playa 
and on and about the coral reefs in the same neighborhood. Here the bottom was of 
sand, well covered with algae in many places, and the depth increased only moderately. 
Some of the most interesting fishes were seined here, among them being species of 
Antennarius , Eupomacentrus , Chcetodon , etc. 
The coral reefs here proved exceedingly interesting. They were made up 
chiefly of fan coral ( Isopora muricata palmata) and the stag-horn coral ( Tsopora muri- 
cata ), with which were mixed a good many heads of one of the brain corals ( Platygyra 
viridis ) and patches of Pterogorgia acerosa and Rhipidogorgia Jlabellmn , whose long, 
brightly colored branches, swaying back and forth by the waves, presented a very 
beautiful scene. In a few places small masses of coral were exposed as the waves 
receded at low tide, and upon these the brown pelicans would rest; but usually the 
broad sheets of the fan coral spread out from a few inches to 4 or 5 feet beneath 
the surface of the water and were never exposed. These sheets were often very 
broad and very beautiful when observed through 1 to 3 feet of clear, quiet water. 
Walking about over these reefs was a somewhat hazardous undertaking; the edges 
of the thin sheets would always break when stepped upon and not infrequently the 
entire blade would break away, precipitating the investigator among a mass of coral 
