EEPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. LXIII 



The following- table shows the number of eggs received and of fry- 

 hatched and distributed : 



A larger amount of freight was handled during the year than usual, 

 owing to the preparation of exhibits for expositions at Omaha, Nebr,, 

 and Bergen, Norway, 312 packages being received and 204 shipped out 

 in addition to the regular freight and exclusive of the equipment belong- 

 ing to the car and messenger service, which is stored here. 



It having been determined to discontinue the hatching of shad eggs 

 at this station on account of the construction of a hatchery at Bryan 

 Point, the apparatus was dismantled and a ]3ortion of it transferred 

 to Bryan Point, but the large collections necessitated the utilization of 

 the station to a certain extent for this work. In April 1,52,"),000 eggs 

 were received from the Fish Hawlc at Avoca, K. C. ; over 15,000,000 came 

 in from Battery Station between April 20 and May 1, and 4,0 14,000 were 

 sent up from Bryan Point. Owing to lack of facilities it became neces- 

 sary to deposit 5,179,000 of the eggs in the Potomac Eiver. The balance 

 were hatched and the fry were planted in the Potomac except 3,537,000 

 which were transferred to the Fish Commission ponds. 



Aquarium, Central Station, Washington, D. C. (L. G. Harron in charge). 



The superintendent of the aquarium was detailed for duty at the 

 Nashville Exposition from July 1 to September 14, and in March was 

 placed in charge of the shad operations at Bryan Point, Md., where he 

 remained until the end of May. He was again detached from duty in 

 June and ordered to Omaha, where he remained until the close of the 

 fiscal year. 



As there was considerable difficulty in keeping the marine fish in 

 healthy condition the salt water, which had been in use for several 

 years, and which had received additions of artificial salt water from time 

 to time, was discarded during the summer. The tanks were thoroughly 

 cleansed and C,000 gallons of salt water were brought from the Chesa- 

 peake Bay, in the vicinity of Old Point, Va. The usual collections of 

 salt-water fishes were made in October at Old Point, 571 specimens, 

 representing 33 species, being successfully transferred to the aquarium. 

 The collection was further increased by consignments of sea-anemone 

 and lobsters from Gloucester, Mass. All of these specimens, except a 

 few which were bruised in transit, remained in the tanks to the close of 

 the fiscal year. The only salt-water fishes that spawned during the 

 year were two flounders, but the eggs did not hatch. 



Ko difficulty was experienced in holding bass, goldfish, golden ide, 

 and other fishes common to the Potomac Eiver during the summer, and 



