EEPORT OF COMMISSIONEES OF INLAND FISHERIES. 9 



X^redatory fish or eels ; tlie latter is said to be the most guilty party 

 in this, the first menace to their increase. As the eggs hatch, the 

 little fellows rise to the surface and remain free swinnners for 

 several weeks, and during this period they are gobbled up by the 

 million by mackerel and other fish who seem to consider them 

 their normal food. AVe have seen small schools of mackerel and 

 also butter-fish after them as soon as liberated, and swallow them 

 as a hungry fowl would grain; that made us think, "that since 

 they were so soon done for, that must be what they were begun 

 for." 



What escape this danger find new ones every time they go to 

 the bottom to moult, which in their early life occur every few daj^s. 

 The period extends as they advance in life. After development 

 to a certain stage they go to bottom and take the chances of life 

 with their progenitors. While they have at this time passed 

 through the most hazardous period of their lives, and have greatly 

 improved chances of reaching maturity, they are still in great 

 danger, and will lose very many of their number before reaching 

 the legal size of ten inches. 



As it is a law of nature that animal life must be sustained by 

 nutriment, it appears that the excessive product of eggs and young 

 among fishes is one, if not the chief provision of nature to supply 

 such nutriment. Were it not so none could long exist, and the 

 ocean would be too small for any one of the prolific breeders. 



We would not have it understood that the spawn or young of 

 lobsters or other fish is the normal food of their kind. But like 

 the young lobster in confinement without other food, thousands 

 would have but one representative in time. That such destruc- 

 tion would take place under favorable natural conditions where 

 they could spread over a large area, and have a supply of normal 

 food, none can believe. If such conditions could be produced and 

 such food could be supplied as they find in their native waters, 

 then would we have the secret for rearing them, that has so far 

 been found impractical. 



The writer has been informed by Prof. A. Agassiz, that he has 



