1913] Clayton S. Smith 57 



ordinary willow basket. The basket was lined with a water-proof 

 paper, covered with burlap and the whole wrapped in heavy manila 

 paper. The time in transit from the wharf to the laboratory was 

 a little over an hour. Very Httle of the ice melted en route and, with 

 one exception, the fish were never in contact with free water in the 

 basket. 



Upon requisition, fish were taken from storage, wrapped sepa- 

 rately in paper, and sent at once to the laboratory, where they 

 arrived in a short time. No appreciable thawing took place in 

 transit. The storage samples, if received during the winter months, 

 were kept over night under paper Covers in shallow pans at room 

 temperature. For the summer months this method of thawing was 

 modified by placing the fish in an ordinary refrigerator over night 

 and then allowing them to remain for an hour at room temperature 

 the next morning. In either case, as soon as the fish were com- 

 pletely thawed, the analyses were begun. 



Each lot of fish furnished by the dealer was given a number by 

 him. The tag also bore the date and, in the case of stored fish, both 

 the date of receipt at, and the date of delivery from, the cold- 

 storage plant. 



In every instance before the fish was prepared for analysis, the 

 general external appearance was observed and, upon dissection, the 

 color and texture of the muscle were also noted. Fresh fish which 

 have been out of the water for some time often show "clots" of 

 slime over their bodies, and in their mouths and gills. Under such 

 conditions the gills may be pale and the fins slightly reddened. 

 When a frozen fish is allowed to thaw at room temperature its skin 

 becomes distinctly dry after the water has evaporated, no slime ever 

 forming. Its gills may be pale but the fins are not red. A slight 

 yellowish brown discoloration, just under the skin, was noted in 

 the case of stored fish ; in fresh fish there were certain gray subcu- 

 taneous areas. A difference in the consistency of the muscle of the 

 stored fish was also noticed, that of the fresh fish being the firmer. 

 These observations apply only to fresh fish kept on ice from 48-72 

 hours and to cold-stored fish immediately after thawing. 



Analytic determinations and methods. The analytic determina- 

 tions may be conveniently considered under four headings : First — 



