“
While in charge of the expedition of the during the winter of 1899–1900 we visited the districts of the tropical Pacific, with the exception of the , the , and the . The I had explored on former occasions, and had also obtained a bird's-eye view of the reefs of Samoa on my way to examine the of Australia. It has thus been my good fortune to observe the structure of the great majority of the coral reefs, s, and s of the tropical Pacific, and to have the benefit of the excellent charts published since the days of Darwin and Dana.
— ALEXANDER AGASSIZ