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45.

the natural history, uses, methods of capture, and extent of fishery of all the known species of economic American marine invertebrates, outside of the mollusks, which have been treated of by others. These reports which were completed the latter part of the year, set forth the practical features of this department of the Museum, which are of no mean order, as they include the lobster, crabs, shrimps and sponges, the annual fishery for which amounts to over $1,200,000. This is the first attempt to report upon this class of fisheries, in this country, from accurate data, and although the reports are very imperfect, and fragmentary, they will serve as a basis for future investigations