zool(k;i('al society bulletin. 



A PORTION 01- THE IISH HATCHERY, NEW YORK AQUARIUM. 



young fishes How al'ltr hatchii 



THE FISH HATC'HEKY. 



IT is five years since the fish liatcliiiig- ex- 

 hibit was placed in operation at the 

 Aquarium. 



During tiiis period it has afforded a prac- 

 tical illustration of the methods of modern 

 fish-culture, and has shown the eggs and 

 young of manj' kinds of food fishes in dif- 

 ferent stages of development, from the ap- 

 pearance of the dark eye-spots in the trans- 

 parent egg, through the process of breaking 

 of the shell and the absorption of the yolk 

 sac, to the active swarming of the fry in tlie 

 rearing troughs and glass tanks. The hatch- 

 ing of California salmon has proved especial- 

 ly interesting on account of the large size and 

 brilliant coloration of the eggs, and the ac- 

 tivity of the newly-hatched young with their 

 conspicuous yolk sacs. 



It has been operated without expense to 

 the Aquarium, fish eggs being supplied from 

 Government hatcheries, and the young fry re- 

 moved to public waters by the State Fish 

 Commission. The yearly output has aver- 



aged between two and tliree millions of fry 

 and fingerlings. 



During tlie past winter the Aquarium 

 hatchery has been imusually interesting to 

 visitors, the hatching jars and troughs hax- 

 ing been filled to overflowing with eggs and 

 young of brook-trout, rainbow-trout. Pacific 

 salmon and Lake Erie whitefish. 



A large information chart has been pre- 

 pared and placed near the hatchery, showing 

 the spawning seasons of fishes and the periods 

 of incubation of the eggs of different species. 



The accompanying photogi'aph shows some 

 of the automatic hatching jars, and their 

 connections with one of the receiving tanks. 

 The flow of water in the jars is so arranged 

 that the young fishes rise to the surface after 

 hatching and are automatically siphoned off 

 into the adjacent receiving tanks. Tt is fas- 

 cinating to most persons to observe the stead}' 

 rising of young fishes when the eggs begin 

 to hatch rapidly, and see them discharged 

 through the glass and rubber tubes into the 

 ever increasing swarms in the glass tanks.. 



