BULLETIN OP THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 215 



May 3, 1878. — Cxeorge Spaugler, Madison, lud., aunounces the cap- 

 ture of about a dozen shad this season ; sold for a high price. Two were 

 caught hist year 20 miles below Madison. 



May 21, 1878. — George F. Akers, Nashville, Tenn., says: "During 

 present month quite a number of shad were taken near Nashville and 

 sold in market." 



May, 1874. — Col. Marshall McDonald, fish commissioner of Virginia 

 (report of 1878), speaks of marked increase of shad in the Rappahannock 

 Eiver, and says it is the general belief of the people that this is due to 

 the planting of young fish by the United States Fish Commission in 1875. 



Aiwil 15, 1870. — Ilev. T. INI. Thorpe sent to the National Museum an 

 adult female shad, which was caught near Hot Springs, Ark., in the 

 Washita River. 



6. Carp {Cyprinus carpio, Linn.). 



1880. 



Decemher 10, 1880. — Mr. J. B. Rogers, of Duval, Travis County, Texas, 

 sent to the United States National Museum, through one of the messen- 

 gers of the United States Fish Commission, Mr. J. F. Ellis, a fresh carp 

 reared from a lot introduced by the Commission eleven months previous 

 to the above date. In this short time, under the favorable conditions 

 found in its new home, this carp (from about 4 inches) reached the aston- 

 ishing length of 20^ inches, and weighed 4 pounds and 11 ounces. The 

 fish was brought by Mr. Ellis in a fresh state; a cast of it (No. 963) is 

 preserved, and the specimen may now be seen in the Museum. (Cata- 

 logue number, 2GG29.) 



7. Cat-fish [Amiurus catus [L.] Gill). 



, 1877. — Received a cat-fisli from Sacramento River, caught 



two years ago. (Museum catalogue number, 2084G, entered December 

 1, 1877.) It came with a shad from Sacramento River. 



EXPERIItlElVTS IIV THE TRAIVSB»0RTATI01V OF THE OERmiAIV CARP 

 IN A til.TTlITED srPrtiV OF WATER. 



By MARi^HALL McDOMALD. • 



The extreme hardihood of the German carp, and the great tenacity 

 of life exhibited under adverse circumstances, led to the institution of 

 experiments to determine whether we could not with safety greatly de- 

 crease the amount of water employed in their transportation and thus 

 reduce the cost of their distribution. 



A common covered tin bucket, capacity 6 quarts, was procured, and 

 several holes made in the cover to allow free access of air. The bucket 



