THE PROPAGATION AND DISTRIBUTION OF THE SHAD. 339 



Mr. Green now arranged a can made in similar form to that which 

 Mr. Bell had devised, but instead of agitating the water and eggs by 

 an inflow of water he applied a current of air from an air force-pump, 

 the bubbles and force of the air rising from the bottom of the can carry- 

 ing upward a current of water and the eggs, which slowly fell back 

 toward the bottom, to again be carried upward by the in-rushing air. 



The purpose of the can was to receive the eggs when they had under- 

 gone their slow development in the screens to the point when they were 

 nearly ready to break the shell and release the young shad into the water. 



Mr. Welsher and Mr. Green were quite confident of the efficiency of 

 their apparatus, and expected to make a success of the trip. 



7. — THE TRIP TO GERMANY. 



On the nights of the 15th and 16th July, Mr. Green took a large 

 quantity of shad-eggs at the station at South Hadley Falls, Mass., on 

 the Connecticut River. Those chosen for the voyage were very carefully 

 selected, all light eggs floating to the surface were allowed to float out of 

 the pan, and the manipulation in the impregnation of the eggs was very 

 carefully managed, and the ripe fish critically examined before eggs 

 or milt were taken. 



About 400,000 impregnated eggs were placed in the cases ; large boxes 

 were obtained in which the cases of eggs were packed. The method of 

 packing was to lay a bottom thickness of four or five inches of turners' 

 shavings, upon which the case rested. The same thickness was tamped 

 in around the side, and over the top was put a heavy layer of the shav- 

 ings and lumps of ice. 



The boxes were put into the baggage-car on the morning of the 17th 

 and arrived at New York on same day. They were moved to the 

 steamer Donau in a light-spring wagon, and put on board about 1 p. m» 



The place afforded by the officers of the steamer was the middle hatch- 

 way, which had been fitted up between decks into a commodious room. 

 Timber-posts had been put in strengthening the hatch-cover overhead, 

 and nine of the cans arranged by Mr. Green, each of about ten gallons' 

 capacity, were suspended by chains. A rubber hose led from each of 

 these to an air-chamber, into which the air was forced by an air force- 

 pump, and through the hose distributed to each of the cans. 



The cases of eggs were placed on the floor and the ice kept near by 

 in a small ice- chest. 



The steamer left on the 17th. After getting under way, Mr. Welsher 

 and Mr. Green opened the cases of eggs, and, to their dismay, perceived 

 that they had been injured during the transportation from the Connec- 

 ticut River to the steamer. 



No development seemed to take place at all in the eggs, and no fish 

 were hatched. The jolting of the baggage-car between Holyoke, Mass., 

 and New York had evidently entirely destroyed the vitality of the eggs. 



The following tables exhibit the physical observations, the number of 

 fish taken, and the number of fish put into the river at the different 

 stations. 



