Mr. F. W. Putnam was the next speaker. After a 

 few remarks on the Cyclone and the track it had left, he 

 alluded to the dust storms and the importance of collect- 

 ing dust from such storms, when they occur, for micro- 

 scopical observations, as the dust often contains, in 

 abundance, interesting diatomes, etc., brought from a dis- 

 tance and from unknown localities. He then spoke of 



THE FISHES COLLECTED IX THE LAKE. 



There were two species of pickerel, two of sun fish, 

 the perch, three of the shiner family, a sucker, the eel, 

 the little darter, the horned pout and the alewife. The 

 last was very abundant at the outlet as the water com- 

 missioners had kept the dam closed for a day in order 

 that the members of the Institute should see the descent 

 of the fish on their way to the sea. lie then explained 

 why it was that the fish all went over the dam tail first, as 

 the water in the rapid current would otherwise he forced 

 under the gill covers and destroy the delicate gills, while 

 at the same time suffocating the fish, as the structure of 

 the gills is adapted for allowing the water to he taken 

 in at the mouth passing over the gills and out under 

 the gill cover. It is owing to this fact that a fish, when 

 quiet in the water, always keeps its head up stream if 

 there is the slightest current, and the Whole structure of 

 the fish, including shape, scales and fins, is perfectly 

 adapted to this purpose. 



The alewives, which were now on their way to the sea. 

 were all adult fishes that had entered the lake about the 

 middle of May and had deposited their spawn along the 

 shore. They were now returning to their winter quarters 

 in deep water off our coast (for he did not believe that 

 they migrated far south, as was generally supposed), 

 and would return to the lake each season for the same 



