52 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 



in the last report) over a large part of its uorthern range; this in con- 

 sequence, as is supposed, of the killing of the fish by cold currents ex- 

 tending beyond their usual limitations. This suspected destruction was 

 suggested by the discovery of millions of these fish found dead and 

 floating out in mid-ocean without any apparent indication of disease. 



The usual scientific research was continued during the summer at 

 this station, and, as heretofore, large numbers of duplicate specimens of 

 natural history were collected for distribution to the colleges and acad- 

 emies throughout the country. Of these, two hundred sets are in prepa- 

 ration and will be distributed to that number of applicants. This policy 

 on the part of the Commission and the Smithsonian Institution is thor- 

 oughly appreciated by friends of education throughout the country as 

 furnishing material for instruction iu the way of objects themselves, and 

 making it unnecessary to depend upon imperfect figures and descriptions. 



The work of the Commission in the way of propagation of food-fishes 

 was continued in 1882 on a scale larger than that of previous years. 

 The general work of the season may be considered. as commencing with 

 the shad in April, ar 1 was carried on for the most part with the two 

 stations of Washington and Havre de Grace as centers. On the Poto 

 mac Kiver the practice of the Commission is either to keep men perma- 

 nently stationed at the difi'erent landings or to send them every day to 

 attend to the haulings of the seines, so that the ripe fish may be taken 

 as they are brought in, the eggs stripped from them and immediately 

 fertilized by the milt from accompanying males. The eggs are then 

 either transferred to the "Fish Hawk," as a floating station, or sent 

 to the hatching station at the navy-yard, or to the central station in 

 Washington, heretofore known as the Armory. 



Near the close of the season of shad-hatching on the Potomac the 

 *'Fish Hawk" was sent to the Susquehanna River at Havre de Grace, 

 to renew her work. What is known as Battery Station, the permanent 

 establishment of the Commission, about five miles below Havre de 

 Grace, was also in full operation. Here the experiment was first made 

 by the Commission of catching its own shad by hauling a seine from 

 Battery Island. The result was very satisfactory and gives much prom- 

 ise for the future. The experunent was also initiated of placing partly 

 unripe fish in a pond on the island until the eggs were sufficiently ma- 

 tured to permit their being stripped. 



The young shad as taken at the stations mentioned were forwarded 

 by the special cars of the Commission to different parts of the United 

 States and were planted in many rivers which it is hoped will iu time 

 become the seat of important fisheries, this distribution including both 

 the fresh-water herring and shad. The total number of shad taken and 

 distributed during the season amounted to over 30,000,000. This added 

 to nearly 170,000,000 hatched and distributed in previous years rei)re- 

 sents a very important aggregate,-^boui 200,000,000 of shad planted 

 in suitable waters. 



