Zoological Results of the Work of the United States Fish Commission in 1883

Abstract

IN the summer of 1880 the United States Fish Commission steamer Fish-Hawk began her first work in dredging upon the Gulf-Stream slope seventy miles south of Rhode Island, working in from 75 to 600 fathoms of water. Upon this steep submarine bank several hundred species of Invertebrates were found which proved to be new to the American coast. Many were entirely new, others had been described from the Mediterranean and the deep waters off the west coast of Europe, and some were identical with fossils from the Italian Tertiary and Qua ternary deposits, this being true of the shells more particularly. These species have long since been de scribed in American scientific publications, and two subsequent summers of work in this region have brought to light numerous new and additional species, and at the same time very nearly exhausted the region. The Fish-Hawk, built for the purpose of serving as a floating shad-hatching station to work in the shallow inlets of Chesa peake Bay, was, during the summer, when she could not carry on her intended work, made use of for dredging purposes, work for which she was not well suited, for her shallow draft and round bottom rendered her unsafe when far from land and liable to encounter rough weather. She could make trips only when pleasant weather was assured for at least twenty-four hours, thereby losing much valu able time which could have been saved if a perfectly seaworthy vessel had been at the command of the Commission.