REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 7 



of the season, it became necessary to postpone further investigations 

 until another season. 



Fish- hatchery at Srui Marcos, Tex. — lu a previous report reference 

 was made to an investigation with a view to establishing a tish-cultural 

 station in the Gulf States, and to the fact that San Marcos, Tex., 

 furnished a desirable site for a station for the propagation of fresh- 

 water species of fishes. By act approved August 5, 1892, an appro- 

 priation of $10,000 was made for the establishment of such a station 

 in Texas. Before final decision upon the selection of this site a 

 further investigation of certain other localities was made. 



In Kovember, 1893, an offer was made by a committee of citizens of 

 San Marcos to convey to the United States a tract of land in that 

 town, near the head waters of the river and just below the dam of the 

 San Marcos Water Company; to rebuild and raise the existing dam 

 across the river, so as to provide a higher level and thus permit of the 

 supply of water to the ponds by gravity; to obtain the right to enter 

 upon the property of the vSan Marcos Water Company for the purpose 

 of laying the necessary pipes and to take fishes from the lake for the 

 purposes of propagation; and to secure the i^assage of certain city 

 ordinances which would allow of the satisfactory conduct of the station. 

 The consideration to be paid for the tract was $4,500, and for the water 

 rights, dam, etc., $2,500. In view of all these circumstances, it was 

 decided to select the San Marcos site, and the deed of Judge W. D. 

 Wood covering the tract of ground was delivered on the 2d of May, 

 1893, and that of Mr. Ed. J. L. Green and the San Marcos Water Com- 

 pany for water rights, etc., on the 24th of April, 1893. 



In accordance with the request of this office of the 14th of April, 

 1893, the United States attorney for the western district of Texas was 

 directed to receive the papers and examine the titles to the property 

 and rights thereby conveyed. Under date of May 25 the Attorney- 

 General certified that the deed to the Wood tract was sufiicient to vest 

 in the United States a valid title to the same. In regard to the prop- 

 erty of the San Marcos Water Company and Mr. Green, it was found 

 that the title was affected by certain deeds of trust given by the com- 

 pany to secure certain issues of bonds, and it became necessary to 

 arrange for releases, so far as the rights conveyed by the deed to the 

 United States were concerned. Steps were therefore taken to secure 

 from the trustees, with the consent of the holders of the bonds, the 

 releases called for by the Attorney-General. This, however, it was 

 impossible to bave done before the close of the year, and the respective 

 deeds were held in escrow until the final completion of all the require- 

 ments necessary to pass the property in fee simple to the United States. 



Fish-hatchery at Bozeman, Mont. — In the last report of the Commis- 

 sioner attention was called to the investigations which took place with 

 a view of selecting suitable sites for the establishment of fish-cultural 

 stations in the State of Montana and in one of the Gulf States. Of the 

 sites examined in Montana, the most desirable for the proposed station 



