20 DEVILS LAKE, NORTH DAKOTA. 



in 1888 until the fall. In 1880 it was completely dried up. The 

 water of the coulee was much fresher prior to that time, and pick- 

 erel were often observed entering it, headed northward. Mr. Charles 

 E. Taylor reports that in 1888 he " discovered pickerel by the wagon 

 loads dead along the shores and sloughs at the south end of Dry 

 Lake." He affirms that they perished because the lake *"' froze dry," 

 and Lake Irvine, Lac aux Morts, Dry Lake, and Sweetwater Lake 

 were also reported to have been frozen dry in 1889. It thus ap- 

 pears that the retreat of the migrating fish Avas completely cut off 

 by the drying up of Mauvaise Coulee. The extent of destruction 

 to fish by the freezing of Sweetwater or the Chain Lakes could not 

 be ascertained. The influx of considerable fresh water to these 

 lakes, and the more favorable conditions offered for spawning pur- 

 poses were without doubt impelling causes for migration. The loss 

 of extensive spawning areas in Mission and Creel bays, the decima- 

 tion of their species by overfishing, and the increasing alkalinity of 

 water in Devils Lake contributed to the extensive migration and 

 extermination. 



The appearance of pickerel with slimy eyes and scales, as also 

 those bearing sores or injuries, as reported by certain reliable per- 

 sons, are conditions not infrequently found in fish of advanced age 

 or in spawning individuals. Sufficient evidence could not be gath- 

 ered to support the theory of any fish disease. All specimens cap- 

 tured during the closing years of their presence were observed to 

 be in healthy condition. 



ACCLIMATIZATION EXPERIMENTS. 



During the period of the investigations at Devils Lake, observa- 

 tions were made uj^on several species of food and game fishes intro- 

 duced and held in control for the purpose of determining respec- 

 tively their adaptability to the water of the lake. These experi- 

 ments were of varying character and yielded gratifying results. 



Pickerel {Esox lucius), suckers {Catostomus commersonii) , cat- 

 fish {Ameiurus 7iehulosus), yellow perch {Perca flaveseens), and 

 large-mouth black bass {Micropterus sahtioides) were experimented 

 with. Attempts to construct fences of galvanized wire cloth and 

 thus pen in the fish under experiment were found impracticable, and 

 live cars of the same material were adopted. 



On August 9, 7 suckers and 3 pickerel, all of good size, were 

 confined in a live car measuring 12 by 8 by 6 feet, the frame con- 

 structed of 2 by 4 timber, and the sides of 1-inch wire mesh. The 

 fish were seined from the Chevenne Kiver, at a point 20 miles 

 from the North Dakota Chautauqua grounds. The car was buoyed, 

 resting on the bottom, on the eastern shore of Creel Bay, but a few 



