108 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



Croix and White rivers, Wisconsiu, and 40,000 in Sandy and Partridge 

 rivers, Minnesota. 



Pilte perch. — In March preliminary arrangements were made for 

 obtaining pike-perch (^gg'A from Pike Eiver, and on April 30 a personal 

 reconnaissance of the locality was made by the superintendent. The 

 collecting period was brief, extending from May 1 to IT), and owing to 

 the slow disappearance of ice fally half of the fish had spawned before 

 they ascended the river to the egg-collecting point where a seine could 

 be used. The total of eggs amounted to 14,000,000. Of this number 

 500,000 were deposited in the sti-eam where obtained, the remainder being 

 conveyed to the station. The losses following transfer were 5,800,000 

 in May and 2,140,000 in June, hatching occurring June 1 to 5. The 

 distribution aggregated 5,500,000, these being placed, before absorption 

 of the sac, near the shores of Michigan, Wisconsin, and INIinuesota. 



Late in November there was a considerable fall of snow, and on 

 December 10 ice above the dam from which gravity water is obtained 

 formed to a sufficient thickness to cutoff the sui)X)ly to hatchery, enforc- 

 iug the use of steam pumps in obtaining lake water from crib wells. In 

 January the mean temperature was 5.00° below zero, and in February 

 snow was more than 3 feet deep on a level, the ice at end of March 

 above gravity dam being 4 feet thick. On April 30 the water tempera- 

 ture was 35°, and on May 10 the ice was still obstructing the passage of 

 water to the hatchery from the gravity dam. By ]May 31 the average 

 temperature of the water was found to be 39°, and in June it had 

 reached the point of 70°. The distribution for the year was: Rainbow 

 trout, 83,000; lake trout, 2,355,000; whitetish. 10,482,000; pike perch, 

 6,500,000; pike-perch eggs, 500,000. 



QuiNCY Station, Illinois (S. P. Bartlktt, Supkrixtendent). 



The collection and distribution of native food fishes from the over- 

 flow river basins was continued on the same basis as in former seasons. 

 While this work does not aggi'egate large numbers of lish distributed, 

 their larger size more than compensates for absence of numbers. 



On July 15 the water in the Illinois and Meredosia rivers was found 

 to be receding, the banks -at that time just beginning to appear above 

 the surface. On July 23 the water was still high, but falling, affording 

 an opportunity for the commencement of operations in August, wlien 

 both rivers and the overflowed lands. Avere worked. All collections are 

 secured with seines, the fish being transferred by small boats and a 

 special steamer to the railway tracks, where the cars arc in attendance. 

 The difficulties in prosecuting this class of work are great, one of the 

 worst being the high temperatures prevailing in air and water. A 

 large proportion of the lish captured were taken from water only 4 

 to 8 inches deep, with an underlying deposit of soft mud 10 inches 

 or more in thickness, and in hauling the nets it is impossible to avoid 

 drawing ashore quantities of this substance, thereby suttbcating the 

 fish unless quickly removed. Another difticnlty is in securing at" the 



