68 BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 



the least doubt of it, I could have furnished this season to a pond both 

 male and female fish sufficient, with the same success in hatching as with 

 shad, to have produced 100,000,000 young fish of a species second to no 

 other in our seaboard waters. As it was, all the large fish, after being 

 captured, were turned loose again to propagate in their own natural way. 



These fish, in confinement, will require a liberal supi^ly of food. I 

 have placed in the pond a supply of live herring, as I found on cut- 

 ting one open, weighing about 35 j)ounds, that its maw contained two 

 large-sized herring, one more than half digested, the other in perfect 

 form. 



I hope to have the good fortune to capture this fish on the 1st of June^ 



and find it past maturity, and be able to again return it to the bay. 



Yours, &c., 



E. E. NORNY. 



A. OEORCilA CARP POIVD. 

 By ABEL, A. WRIOHT. 



Griffin, Ga., 3fay 14, 1881. 

 Prof. Spencer F. Baird : 



Esteemed Sir : The sketches of my fish pond failed to reach you, 

 and I am sorry, because I wanted you to see them and tell me how you 

 like my plans, &c. This i^ond I built before I ever heard of a carp, or 

 saw a drawing as in Hessel's work, the ideas being my own. The carp 

 are genuine beyond a doubt, because there is no earthly chance for any 

 fish to get into the pond, no fish being in the streams it empties into, 

 and nothing but beautiful clear springs feediug it only a few hundred 

 feet off; and there is a large fall, about one-quarter of a mile below, that 

 no fish can get above, the water falling perpendicularly over a shelving 

 rock. I was extremely particular in regard to this matter. If I go to 

 Florida in the fall, I will superintend getting a fine lot of aquatic plants 

 and send them to you at my own expense. The carp feed ravenoursly 

 on moss that grows in the water ; I had boxes of it shipped to me, and 

 I know what I am talking about. I notice one thing, the carp love to 

 spawn among the thick masses of weeping-willow roots that grow out 

 in the water ; they have great masses of fine fibrous roots. I have seen 

 hundreds of pounds iu the water near the bank where they would spread 

 out in the water for yards around; and another thing, a little black 

 caterpillar about an inch or more long, with yellow spots, comes on the 

 weeping willow and drops into the water. I have seen the large carp 

 lie watching for them, and, when one falls in the water, the carp would 

 take him in out of the wet ; and also grasshoppers and earth-worms 

 thrown into them. I buy damaged crackers from Atlanta by the barrel 



