34* REPORT OF COMMISSIO:SER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



per cent., witli the exception of those sent to Europe, of which mention 

 ■will be made hereafter. 



Xearly all the fish commissioners of the Eastern States reported the 

 arrival of their qnota in most admirable condition. 



In the Appendix will be found the detailed report of Mr. Stone upon 

 the work of 1877. In this is a very imj)ortant series of indications of 

 temperatures. From this it will be seen that during the season, when the 

 eggs were being embrj-^onized for shipment, namely, from August 28 to 

 October, the temperature of the water varied from 48° to 58°, that of the 

 air oecasiouallj" rising to 100°. The hatching was completed, however, 

 with the water a few degrees lower. 



The total yield of the season up to the 0th of October was a little over 

 7,000,000, about 1 ,000,000 more being taken afterward. The distribution 

 of these eggs was made to twenty States, in addition to which a supply 

 was sent to Germany, the Netherlands, England, France, Canada, 

 Australia, and New Zealand. The total number of fish distributed from 

 the various stations amounted to 0,983,000. 



Foreign distrihution of cr/f/s of the Pacific salmon. — The very high es- 

 timation of the California salmon by the fish-breeders of the United 

 States, based upon its hardiness, freedom from disease, rapidity of 

 growth, voracity of feeding, &:c., excited much attention among special- 

 ists in this line in Europe, and in the summer of 187G application was 

 made in behalf of Dr. Friedenthal, minister of agriculture of Germany, 

 through the German commissioner at the Centennial, for the transmis- 

 sion of a supply of eggs of this fish. Similar requests were made by the 

 officers of the Deutsche Fischorei Verein, an institution standing far in 

 advance of all others in Europe organized for the protection and im- 

 provement of the national fisheries. 



It was impossible to meet this call in 1876, but in 1877 arrangements 

 to that effect were made, after an extended correspondence. Mr. Fred 

 IMather w^as selected to accomi)any these eggs to Europe, it being un- 

 derstood that his expenses were to be i)aid by the German Government 

 and thcFislierei-Yerein. No charge wao made by the United States for 

 the eggs, their donation being considered right and proper, in view of 

 the fact that Germany had presented, in 1873, 250,000 eggs of the Ehine 

 salmon to the United States- 

 It was arranged that Mr. Mather was to meet the eggs at Chicago, 

 and that no portion of his exi:»enses from that point to Germany and 

 back to New York was to be chargeable to the United States. 



On the 7tli of 0(!tober, 1877, a refrigerator car from California reached 

 Chicago with its i)reclous freight of salmon eggs, and Mr. Mather, who 

 was in attendance, received two crates of eggs for England, to be sent 

 to Frank Buckland; two crates for France, for the Societe d' Acclimata- 

 tion, Paris ; two crates for the Deutsche Fischerei-Verein, German^' ; two 

 for Dr. Friedenthal, minister of agriculture in Germany ; and four for 



