XXVIII.— DIRECTIONS FOR USING BLANKS FOR RECORDING 

 THE PROPAGATION AND DISTRIBUTION OF FISH. 



A series of blanks has been prepared for the purpose of facilitating 

 the record of the artificial propagation and distribution of fishes in the 

 United States. They will also, if carefully and fully filled out, supply 

 excellent data for determining the influences of natural agencies upon 

 the abundance of the food-fishes, their periods of migration, and the 

 hatching of the spawn. For example, the record of the temperature of 

 the air and water, together with that of the fish taken, will afford defi- 

 nite conclusions as to the effect of a cold late spring in retarding the 

 migrations of the shad ; while a comparison of the same temperatures 

 with the numbers of spawn taken and hatched will show the effect of a 

 high temperature upon the vitality of the eggs. 



Table A is intended to record the operations at a hatching-station 

 where the eggs are taken from the parent fish and either hatched, or 

 distributed after the development has partially advanced. 



Thus if the operation of hatching shad is being carried on at South 

 Hadley Falls, Mass., the reading would then be : 



Becokd of shad-Jiatcliing operations conducted at South Hadley Falls, 

 Mass., on the Connecticut River, from July 20, 1874, to August 22, 1874, 

 on account of Connecticut State Commissioners, by Charles C. Smith. 



The column under Line, No., relates to the numbering of the lines from 

 top to bottom. The column under Date relates to the day of the month 

 in which the work was performed. In the Hous-column are to be given 

 the hours of the day in which the physical observations of temperature, 

 wind, condition of sky and water and of tide are made. As many suc- 

 cessive lines should be appropriated for these records as observations 

 have been repeated at different hours during the day. Thus, if observa- 

 tions are made at 7 a. m., 12 m., and 7 p. m., three lines are required. 

 The record of Air and Surface-water temperatures needs no explanation. 

 In the record for -Bo^ow-temperature, the depth should be specified. If 

 it is always at the same depth, recording it at the head of the column 

 once is sufficient. The Direction of the Wind may be given approxi- 

 mately from the eight points of the compass most commonly referred 

 to. The Intensity may also be expressed in the words Gentle, Fresh, 

 Strong, Gale, Hurricane, &c. The Condition of Shy may be specified 

 by the words Clear, A few light clouds, Cloudy, Cloudy with showers, 

 rain, &c.j the Condition of Water as Clear, Muddied, Very turbid, &c. 

 Tide can be referred to by using L for low water and H for high water; 

 approximately half-way between these points of the tide by \. The record 



