THE i960 SMITHSONIM-BREDIN MAY ALAND EXPEDITION 
Following the 1959 Caribbean expedition, the Mayaland expedition, 
was organized primarily for the purpose of sampling the marine 
fauna and the insect life of the east coast of the Mexican Territory of 
Quintana Poo, Yucatan, and of the nearby islands of Mu^eres and 
Cozumel. This expedition remained in the field from March 26 through 
May 6, i960. 
From this seldom visited and very considerable stretch of coast 
the United States Rational Museum has received over the years little 
in the way of specimens, marine or terrestrial. Hence our keen interest 
to have a go at it on this sixth of the expeditions that Mr. and Mrs. J. 
Bruce Bred in of Wilmington, Delaware, have sponsored for the Smithsonian 
Institution. It was their fourth to the Caribbean. 
Although the former U. 5 . Fish Commission Str. Albatross in 
January-February 1885 accomplished some dredging and dragging of tangles 
on the ocean bottom off the northern end of the Yucatan peninsula, and 
off the south end of the island of Cozumel at depths exceeding 100 
fathoms, and brought back a few shallow-water animals which now repose 
in the National Museum; and though the Carnegie Institution of Washington 
(Publication No. 491, 1938), rather completely reported upon the animal 
and plant life collected in 1936 chiefly in the caves and cenotes of 
Yucatan, the marine littoral hitherto had received but scant attention. 
All that the Museum possessed in the way of seashore life from the 
waters along the east coast of Yucatan were several small lots of marine 
invertebrates picked up by friends of the Institution prior to 1940. 
