4.-1N0TES ON FISHES COLLECTED AT COZUMEL, YUCATAN, BY THE U. S. 
FISH COMMISSION, WITH DESCRIPTIONS OF NEW SPECIES. 
BY TARLETON H. BEAN, ICHTHYOLOGIST, U. S. FISH COMMISSION. 
The TJ. S. Fish Commission steamer was sent by the Commissioner, Prof. 
Spencer F. Baird, late in January, 1885, to the Island of Cozumel for the purjiose of 
investigating its natural history, with special reference to the fishes and their asso- 
ciates. 
The vessel was in command of Lieutenant-Commander Z. L. Tanner, U. S. Navy. 
The naturalists on board were Mr. James E. Benedict, naturalist in charge, Capt. J. 
W. Collins, Mr. Thomas Lee, and the writer, who was detailed more especially for the 
investigation of the fishes. 
On the 22d of January the Albatross arrived off the north shore of the island and 
anchored at the only anchorage laid down upon the present charts, in the extensive 
shallow bight towards which the bottom very gradually falls for a long distance off 
shore, making it very difficult to reach the laud for the pui’i^ose of daily exploration. 
Hand-lines were immediately put into requisition here, and in a short time several 
species of fishes were captured. These were Ocyurus chrysurus, one or two species of 
HcBtnulon, and one species of shark, Carcharias coeruleus. Ocyurus and Hcenmlon 
accepted our bait of salt mackerel very freely. 
On the following day the vessel steamed around to the northwest side of the island 
and anchored off the village of San Miguel, the principal settlement of Cozumel. 
There is no harbor here, but a very good lee during easterly winds. Here the vessel 
remained, with but one interruption, caused by a sudden norther, until the 29th of 
January, when our position was changed to the south end of the island for a few hours 
before our departure to the northward. Seining parties were sent out from the Alba- 
tross in a seining- boat when the distance to be traveled was short, and the boat was 
towed by a steam-launch when distant points were to be explored. Collections were 
made neax the village of San Miguel, in and near a lagoon about 4 miles below San 
Miguel, and along the beaches at the southern end of the island. Seining was every- 
where made difficult by the presence of sharp rocks, the prevalence of submerged 
vegetation, and the abundant Porites. Hook-fishing was essentially a failure. The 
water is everywhere clear, so that multitudes of fishes may be seen darting here and 
there, but none of them would take the hook freely. Certain species, which one would 
not expect to capture with the hook, were caught by angling. These were, Balistes 
vetula and Ostracion bicaudalis. A gill-net was used on one occasion, and took only 
two species, Scarus guacainaia and Scarus cuzamilcc. 
The great majority of our fishes were taken in a capelin seine 25 fathoms in length. 
Bull. U. S. F. C., 88 13 
193 
