334 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



soon as possible, and the temperature had to be kept quite even. On 

 the third day of the voyage the fish lost their sacs, which could be seen 

 by the differeuce of their movements. While before this they had 

 quietly moved round in a circle, they now made rapid jerking move- 

 ments from one side of the can to the other, as if they were in search of 

 food. Two days after losing their sacs, 9th August, the fish were thriv- 

 ing; but from this time they gradually fell off, their bodies became 

 thinner, more thread-like and transparent, whereby the large head 

 seemingly increased in size. On the 13th August the young fish were 

 very much exhausted, their movements grew slow, and the gentlemen 

 prepared themselves for a total loss, which took place during the night 

 from the 13th to the 14th August, in the English Channel, a short time 

 before the arrival of the vessel in Southampton, after the little fish had 

 been kept alive two hundred and fifty hours in all. According to Mr. 

 Mather's diary the daily list of losses was as follows : 5th August, no 

 losses; 6th August, 200 lost; 7th, 1,000; 8th, 20; 9th, 100; 10th, 3,000; 11th, 

 500; 12th, 1,200; 13th, 5,000; the 14th, all the remainder, almost 90,000. 

 It need not be said how painful it was for the two American gentlemen, 

 when they had to throw overboard the object of their incessant care dur- 

 ing ten days ; for this deprived them of th$ great triumph of having been 

 the first to transport live fish across the ocean, the prize for which they had 

 gone to so much trouble. But in spite of their failure these gentlemen may 

 feel proud of the result of their undertaking, for while young shad had 

 hitherto only been transported alive one hundred and eighty-four and 

 a half hours, they succeeded in keeping them alive two hundred and 

 fifty hours. The practical experience gained is likewise of great im- 

 portance, and every pisciculturist will agree with us in assuming that 

 the possibility of success can no longer be considered doubtful. Messrs. 

 Mather and Anderson shared this view, and we rejoice to hear that so 

 experienced a pisciculturist as Mr. Schieber, of Hameln, entirely agrees 

 with them. Mather and Anderson felt convinced that nothing but want 

 of food was the cause of the total loss; but unfortunately they had to 

 see the fish die without being able to save them, as so far but very little 

 is known regarding the food of young shad. Very small, almost micro- 

 scopic animals will certainly form their food during the first days, but 

 it proved impossible to supply their place by meat ; and blood, which 

 has in similar cases been successfully employed, was of no use. It is 

 well known that the grown shad lives on various crustaceans, and that, 

 like the salmon, it takes no food during the period of its migration in 

 fresh . water, but as regards the food of the young shad, we are so far 

 entirely in the dark. Messrs. Mather and Anderson are, going to make 

 extensive experiments during next year, and will doubtless be in every 

 possible way assisted by Professor Baird in his influential position as 

 United States Commissioner of Fish and Fisheries, as the introduction of 

 the shad into Europe is one of the pet plans of this eminent naturalist. 

 To his energy and influence we owe in the first place this attempt, the ex- 



