BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 217 



suit. The fish were put up about 4 p. m. on the 25th iustaut, but at 

 4 a. m. the 26th, the night having been unusually cold, many fish were 

 either dead or torpid from freezing; these were emptied out and replaced 

 with fresh fish before starting for the 0.30 a. m. train. In the dark and 

 hurry, as I afterwards discovered, quite a number of fish larger than 

 are usually sent out in cyliuder cans had been given me. Eeached Rich- 

 moud at 11.30 a. ni., and laid over until 11.25 p. m. Itad the fish carted 

 up to the Saint James Hotel, for the double purpose of placing the ex- 

 periment under all the conditions likely to arise on an ordinary trip, and 

 that they might be seen. 



"Leaving Eichmond at 11.25 on the 26th, reached Danville at 7.30 

 a. m. on 27th. At Danville had the last bucket weighed at Coon's drug 

 store. This bucket was an especial experiment, made at the instance 

 of Professor Baird. It had from the start just as little water as would 

 cover the fish ; in fixct, several had their backs above water. The weight 

 of bucket, water, and fish was 4 pounds 7 ounces (65 ounces) ; of the 

 bucket and water, 2 pounds 13 ounces (45 ounces), leaving the weight 

 of fish 20 ounces. The weight of water by measure was 20 ounces, from 

 which I conclude that one pint of water will carry one pound of fish 

 (carj)) without attention for at least 30 hours. Whether this relation 

 will hold true with larger fish remaius to be determined. 



"In conclusion I would state that the water was so low in the buckets 

 as to occasion no slop in the car. In fact, on the route from Eichmond 

 to I^anville, the crate was at the toi) of a high pile of baggage, and the 

 baggage was dry and in good order the following morniug." 



It seems hardly credible that a number of carp could live for any length 

 of time in hardly more than their own weight of water. Experiment 

 has, however, demonstrated the fact, and the explanation is probably 

 this: 



What the fish require is not water but air, water being the necessary 

 medium through which they appropriate air. The air in a small quan- 

 tity of water would be very quickly exhausted, and if there was no ad- 

 equate provision for renewal of supjdy the fish would quickly die. 



In the case of the fish in the small pails the free air surface of the 

 water is very large in proportion to volume. It is kept in continual 

 agitation by the jostling of the cars, or when at rest, by the movements 

 of the fish. Consequently, although the oxygen in the water is rapidly 

 and continucmsly exhausted, it is, also, rapidly and continuously renewed, 

 and the fish remain in good healthy condition. It follows from these 

 experiments that 25 or 50 carp in a half gallon of water in a shallow 

 pail are really under better conditions for healthy existence than the 

 same number of fish in the ordinary 8-gallon shipping can. The limits 

 of distance and temperature within which this method of shipment may 

 be resorted to can only be settled by further experiments. 

 Washington, Kovemher 29, 1881. 



