BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 405 



where the shad rau, has his fike or tikes prepared in due season, and set 

 at a i)roper distance from the shore. The like is lifted at every low tide 

 and the fish taken out. If the proprietor take more than is required 

 for his own consumption, the surplus is sent to the New York market. 

 Occasionally, in some situations, the fishery is more productive than 

 the farm. But in the memory of the writer, the run of shad has very 

 much diminished." [From Transactions of the New York State Agri- 

 cultural Society, «S:;c., for the year 1842, Vol. II, p. 194.] 



jMackerel off Cape Fear. — The United States Hydrographic 

 Oflfice, in a letter to Professor Baird, of February 12, 1887, said: 



"The following- report was received to-day from the Branch Hydro- 

 graphic Office at Philadelphia. Schooner S. M. Bird, February 2, in 

 latitude 33^ 49' north, lon^tude 75° 50' west, saw many schools of 

 mackerel, with large numbers of gannets and gulls over them. Three 

 years ago the captain and mate of the schooner sighted mackerel in the 

 same position." 



Shad in the Saint John's Eiver, Florida. — Dr. H. n. Gary, 

 superintendent of the Georgia Fish Commission, writing to Professor 

 Baird from La Grange, Ga., December 10, 1886, says : 



The shad commence running in the Saint John's Eiver the last of 

 November, and fish from that point have been for sale in the Atlanta 

 (Ga.) markets for the last ten days. The run of shad in the Saint 

 John's last season was quite large, as was evinced by the rather i)oor 

 appliances used in capturing them. It now seems that enough ripe 

 fish can be taken to warrant the establishment of a shad hatchery- on 

 this river, which could be made the distributing point for the extreme 

 Southern States. 



Shad hatching- and distribution in Connecticut in 188G.— The 

 report of the Connecticut fish commission for 1886 states that the shad- 

 hatching operations at Birmingham, on the Housatonic Eiver, con- 

 ducted by Mr. Henry J. Fenton, were very successful. There were 

 hatched and planted in the waters of the State 8,368,000 fry, at a cost 

 of $1,000, the young shad being distributed as follows : 



Connecticut River .3, 000, 000 



Housatonic River ::J, .508,000 



Thames River 1,300,000 



Quinepiac River 1,000,000 



Farmington River, tributary to the Connecticut .500,000 



Total 8,:m^,000 



Size of fish eggs and number contained in a quart. — The 

 following data give the basis for computing the number offish eggs of 

 various species contained in a given measure. The tal)lo was prepared 

 by Mr. Wm. F. Page, of Central Station, and it is thought will be found 

 convenient for reference. The difierence in count is considered to be 

 due mainly to a difference in the size of the eggs. 



