REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 25 



Golden ide. — The goldeu ide spawned ou April 10 aud 11, but all of 

 the eggs were killed ou the nights of April 14 aud 15, owing to the low 

 temperature of the water. 



Spotted catfish. — Although the brood lish were transferred to a larger 

 pond during the early spring, they did not spawn. They are appar- 

 ently healthy and take their food regularly, but it appears that they 

 require a pond of greater area and depth. 



Large-mouthed hlaclc hass. — In the spring the brood fish were confined 

 in a small section of the north pond, which had been separated from 

 the balance of the pond by a partition. They spawned as usual about 

 the middle of May, and at the close of the season it was estimated that 

 there were about 00,000 fry in stock. The brood fish were retained in 

 the small section referred to, the fry passing out through a wire grat- 

 ing in the partition into the main body of the poud. This pond has an 

 area of about 4i acres, and though abundantly stocked with lilies and 

 other aquatic plants the supply of natural food was so scarce that it 

 soon became necessary to provide additional material. The most seri- 

 ous problem involved in the culture of this species is that of providing 

 a suflicient quantity of suitable food. It is difficult at all times to make 

 bass take artificial food, and in the early stages live food is absolutely 

 essential. The small output of the previous fall (0,552) was undoubt- 

 edly due to the fact that the bass lived on each other to a greater or less 

 extent, owing to difficulty in procuring sufficient natural food. During 

 the past season a half million or more of young carp, reared in the 

 ponds, have been utilized as food for the bass, and numbers of young 

 fish of various kinds were obtained in the swamps in the neighborhood 

 of Observatory Hill. They were also fed on young frogs and tadpoles. 



Small-mouthed hlacJc hass. — In the south i^ond, containing 1^ acres, 

 similar arrangements were made for rearing the small-mouthed black 

 bass. The brood fish were confined in a small section at the west end 

 of the i^oud, the fry passing into the body of the pond through a wire 

 gate in the center of the i^artitiou. These fish spawned about the same 

 time as the large-mouthed species, aud it was estimated at the close of 

 the fiscal year that there were about 8,000 fry in stock. 



RocJc bass. — During the month of February 45 rock bass were trans- 

 ferred from the Wytheville Station and placed in the pond recently 

 constructed between the west pond aud Executive avenue. This pond 

 has an area of 17,500 square feet, varies in depth from 2 to 3 feet, 

 aud is well supplied with grass and aquatic plants. Mussels, crushed 

 snails, and small fishes were introduced as food, but notwithstanding 

 the fact that all conditions seemed favorable, the fish did not si)awn. 

 It is possible that they had not become sufiiciently acclimated. 



Shad. — The shad placed in the west pond were released in the Potomac 

 in October; as they were not counted, it is impossible to state definitely 

 the number liberated, but it is estimated at about 1,000,000. The pond 

 was dry during the winter, and in the spring 2,017,000 fry transferred 

 from Central Station were placed in it. They api)eav to be doing well, 

 though they suffer slightly from the black water-beetles aud their larvfe. 



