BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 349 



So marked has this been the case within the past five or six years (and 

 it is constantly increasing) that in small ponds and in the main streams 

 where a few years ago parrs and smolts could be seen in large numbers, 

 it is now quite an exceptional occurrence to see them anywhere. In 

 corroboration of this fact I have only to mention that as a matter of ex- 

 periment young trout, salmon, and California salmon have frequently 

 been taken from the spring- water tanks and placed in the ponds of 

 creek water, and they invariably die, in the summer months, within a 

 few days, sometimes weeks, after the change is made. 



This deplorable and lamentable state of aftairs just related brings me 

 to the object I had in view in writing this letter to you; but having di- 

 gressed so much, I shall now have to be brief on the subject of the carp, 

 which you kindly promised to supply me with this autumn. 1 got about 

 a dozen (living ones) from New York last winter; they were about 3 

 and 3 inches long. I put them in one of the smallest of these little 

 creek ponds, and they have done very well. I noticed to-day six of 

 them on the surface of the pond that would measure 10 and 12 inches in 

 length, very fine and plump in appearance. Mr. Armistead, the Eng, 

 lish gentleman who brought out your " soles," called upon me to-day- 

 and in going round my ponds, expressed the opinion (from what he saw 

 of yours at Washington) that mine would be very well adapted for the 

 carp. This opinion is also borne out by the growth of the few carp I 

 placed in the smallest and most inferior of these ponds. 



May I still look forward to getting from you a number of carp? Our 

 mutual friend, Mr. Whitcher, is most anxious that I should introduce 

 them in our waters. 



lilTC: POIVDS FOR Fli^H IIV IVJEIV JERSEIT. 



By SMITH E. HUGHES. 



Cape May Point, New Jersey, 



November 5, 1880. 

 Capt. M. p. Peirce: 



Dear Sir : Since writing to you, about October 23, there have been 

 new developments with my wecik or trout-fisli^ and in your letter to me, 

 October 27, you stated you would j)robably show my letter to Professor 

 Baird, as you thought my enterprise would be of interest to him, and if 

 so, I am sure he would like to know the result of my experiment with 

 these fish. 



Professor Baird, I know, wants facts and results, and I will give a 

 full account of my experiment thus far. In June I put about one hun- 

 dred weak-fish in my pond, which had been prepared for them some time 

 previous to putting them in, and during that time seemingly tens of 

 thousands of pond chubs had gotten in through the one-half inch, wire- 

 screen, or else hatched in there, and could not get through the one-half 



