ZOOLOGICAL COLLECTIONS
OE
H.M.S. ‘ A L E R T . ’
SUMMARY OF THE VOYAGE,
BY
R. W. COPPINGER, M.D., Staff-Surgeon R.N.
During the summer of 1878 it was resolved by the Admiralty to
equip a vessel for the performance of special surveying-work on
the western shores of Patagonia, among the South-Pacittc lslands,
and on the eastern and northern shores of Au stralia; in addition
to which, it was the wish of the Hydrogra])her of the
Navy, Captain (now Sir Frederick) Evans, F.R.S., th a t no oppor
tunity should be lost of collecting objects of natural history whenever
the requirements of the survey brought the vessel into regions
whose zoology was hitherto but imperfectly known I t was in
accordance with these views th at on the 20th August, 1878., H.M. .
‘A le rt’ was commissioned at Sheerness, with a complement oi
120 officers and men, by Captain Sir George Nares, who, 1^ a happy
coincidence, had commanded the same vessel in the Polar Expedition
of 187 5- 76. On the 20th of the following month we sailed from
^^oSThe outward voyage we touched for a few days at Madeira and
St. Vincent respectively ; and at both of these places some shaUow-
water dredging was accomplished, resulting in the acquisi ® ^
small collection of marine invertebrates, in which, as mig ave,
been expected, there was little, if any thing, of special interest.
W