BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 305 



grounds; but this can hardly be expected of those of such tender af>e. 

 I think they should be as widely scattered as possible when turned loose. 

 Doubtless more of them would .yet eaten up, but less would starve to 

 death. This should apply to other kinds of fish as well. It might be 

 argued that the parent fish themselves congregate in large numbers in 

 one locality to deposit their eggs. This is true, but it is very doubtful if 

 any hatch except those isolated individuals carried into the crevice of 

 some rock or reef, thus becoming protected from spawn-eaters and the 

 confervaceous growth that must generate and destroy all eggs en masse ; 

 so that but a comparatively small number of the young are turned out, 

 and these are considerably scattered. 



Touching on these points, I will quote from Professor Forbes' recent 

 letters : 



From February 3: "I have not forgotten the food of the young white- 

 fish, but have kept the subject in mind in making collections from Lake 

 Michigan and adjacent waters this fall and winter. Entomostraca of 

 great variety occur in considerable numbers in the lake at all seasons, 

 as is shown by surface collections made there hy me in October and 

 November, oft' Chicago, and in Grand Traverse Bay, and by the strain- 

 ing of the water supply of Chicago. A fine lot of the common forms 

 was obtained by the latter method, January 20, of this year. Everything 

 of the sort is much more abundant, however, about the time of the mel- 

 ting of the snow than at any earlier period, and the chances of young 

 fish finding sufficient food would certainly be much better then than 

 earlier. " * * * 



Mr. Forbes had arranged to be with us on our trip with fish to Eacine 

 and Sheboygan, but missing our train, came on to Racine the day fol- 

 lowing our plant of fish. He then made his searches for entomostraca, 

 and returned with us to Chicago that evening. A few live fish were 

 found in one of the cans, and these Mr. Forbes took home with him. 

 Since then he writes, as follows : 



"The little whitefish came through all right, and I have about two- 

 thirds of them yet in an aquarium. I have kept them supplied with 

 entomostraca from pools about here, but, although the little fellows will 

 follow a 9ycloi)S around for some time, making little jumps at him, and 

 nibbling at his heels, yet I haven't seen any actual captures, and don't 

 think that any have been made. Their teeth are already developed, 

 but there are considerable remnants of the egg-sac remaining. I skall 

 in^obably lose them all before they are positively compelled to eat, as 

 our well-water don't seem to be altogether agreeable to them. 



"I am very well satisfied that nothing much larger than a cyclops 

 could be taken by them at first, and the small number of the larger 

 entomostraca which I found at Racine consequently wouldn't signify at 

 first. Possibly they might find a scarcity of appropriate food a little 

 later, when they had gained strength and courage enough to attack a 

 daphuia. 



Bull. U. S. F. C, 81 20 



Iflay 23, 1889. 



