THE PROPAGATION AND DISTRIBUTION OF THE SHAD. 329 



and gave the fish fresh water every hour for the first six clays, and 

 every half-hour the four remaining ones that they lived. Our manner 

 of giving it was this : about two gallons would be drawn from each 

 can, and a dipper-full added each hour. In addition, on each watch 

 the cans were drawn down half way, and the water aerated by pouring 

 from one pail to another, and then replaced. 



To keep the water in the cans sweet and wholesome, the dead were 

 drawn off every morning ; this was accomplished by swirling the water 

 with a dipper, which caused all dead fish to collect in the center of the 

 can ; a siphon was then filled with water, and kept closed until it rested 

 on this mass, when it was allowed to flow until all dead fish and sedi- 

 ment were removed. 



The following is a table of temperatures and casualties : 



Date. 



Aug. 5 

 6 



7 



S 



9 



10 



Jl 



12 

 13 

 14 



Temperature in cans. 



G a. m. 



70 

 66 

 64 

 64 

 62 

 64 

 69 



62 

 63 

 64 



Noon. 



68 

 66 

 62 

 62 

 62 

 (55 

 66 



64 

 62 

 59 



6 p. m. 



66 

 67 

 63 

 64 

 64 

 67 

 64 



64 

 62 

 60 



Mid- 

 night. 



66 

 64 

 64 

 64 

 64 

 73 

 64 



63 

 62 

 61 



Remarks. 



Gave water every hour 



Emptied each can and cleaned it 



Fog at night and hot 



Gave water every half-hour as the fish were get 

 ting weak 



Tried to feed them 



All dead at noon but 1,000, which died at night. . . 



Loss. 



500 

 200 



1,000 



20 



100 



3,000 



500 



1,200 

 5,000 



The fish, in my opinion, died from starvation ; hatched on the morn- 

 ing of the 4th, they were probably looking for food about the third or 

 fourth day after, but appeared strong until the morning of the 12th, 

 when we first noticed signs of weakness by a slow motion, and many 

 alive resting on the bottom of the can. 



On the morning of the 13th I procured a piece of raw beef, and washed 

 it in water. I could see many particles in it, and it would have been 

 good food for any of the salinonidee, but the shad did not appear to 

 notice it. I very much doubt, if the fish had been turned into a river 

 full of their natural food at this time, that they would have lived, for 

 they were past the point of reviving. It is doubtful if the Croton water 

 that we had on board the ship contained the minute forms of animal 

 life upon which the shad-fry feed. It was confined in tanks below three 

 decks in the dark. 



We now know the extreme-limit of their endurance without food. 

 They have been taken from the Hudson River to California in seven 

 days, and have lived and will probably breed. Ours died of exhaustion 

 in a trifle over ten days. 



From this, and the reports in the "Forest and Stream," of the experi- 

 ments by Comdr. L. A. Beardslee, at Noank, I do not regard the trans- 

 portation of shad-fry as at all practicable on a journey occupying over 



