400 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



izens of Tehama, the 35,000 shad from the Hudson River, New York, 

 were deposited safely and in good order in the Sacramento River, at 

 Tehama, Cal.; and we turned away from the river toward our hotel, 

 feeling as if a load of incalculable weight had been lifted from us. 

 I ought to add here that, at Ggden and various other places on the 

 road,, we removed the sediment and dead fish from the water by placing 

 the can-end of the rubber siphon close to the bottom of the cans, and 

 starting the stream through the siphon without using the protecting 

 cylinder. The live shad not resting on the bottom at all, this simple 

 method will clean up every particle of impurity that has settled in the 

 water without drawing off the live fish. This device serves a double 

 purpose; for it not only removes all the dirt, but it draws off all the dead 

 fish, where they can be seen and counted. In this way we arrived at a 

 very near estimate of the loss en route, which we placed at about 400 

 fish, or only 1 per cent, of the whole. 



In regard to Mr. Perrin and Mr. Green, and their. work on the car, I 

 must say that two better men for the undertaking could not have been 

 found. Faithful, untiring, and nerved by the most resolute determina- 

 tion to succeed, tbey did all, and more than could be asked of them, and 

 the extraordinary success of the expedition is, without doubt, greatly 

 due to their efforts. 



6. — EXPERIMENTS TO ASCERTAIN THE CHARACTER OF THE WATER. 



The temperature of the water used in the experiments given below 

 was approximated to that of the water in the cans at the time the experi- 

 ments were tried. 



Elkliorn River (Nebraska) water. — Soft, but roily. Saturday, June 28, 

 put one shad in tumbler, containing three tablespoonfuls, at 4 p. m. 

 He appeared to like it ; was alive and doing well at midnight ; showed 

 signs of distress toward morning ; at sunrise was just alive ; at 7 a. m., 

 on Sunday, was dead. 



Big Spring (Nebraska) ivater. — Clear but a little hard. Put one shad in 

 tumbler containing three tablespoonfuls of water, at 8 o'clock a. m., 

 Sunday morning; showed signs of distress at noon ; was alive at 2 p. m.; 

 died soon after. 



Laramie River ( Wyoming Territory) ivater. — Not quite clear. Put sev- 

 eral shad in a tumbler full, at 7 p. m., on Sunday ; appeared to like it 

 at first, but afterward to suffer some ; at midnight were in considera- 

 ble distress ; at 1 a. m., Monday morning, they began to die ; at 4 a. in., 

 nearly all dead ; at sunrise, all dead. 



River-icater, Evanstown, Utah. — Somewhat roily. Put two shad in a 

 tumbler full, at 3 p. in., Monday, June 30; did well in it. 



Humboldt Spring (Humboldt, Nev.,) water. — Put several shad in tumbler 

 at 5 p. m., on Tuesday, July 1 ; seemed to like it ; appeared well most of 

 the night; in a good deal of distress at daylight ; died in the forenoon. 



