ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY BULLETIN. 



707 



fjrani. The contributions covered nearly all 

 phases of fisheries work. Some of the most 

 important subjects treated were: tlie prevention 

 of water pollution, conservation of fisheries, 

 methods in practical fish, frog and lobster cul- 

 ture, the enforcement of fisheries regulations, 

 the Alaska seal fisheries, the biology of fishes, 

 diseases of fishes, etc. 



The work of this body is thus not only very 

 broad, but it is extremely important in affording 

 a clearing house for the ideas of the men who 

 are engaged in studying the manifold (|uestions 

 connected with tlie biology, cultivation and con- 

 servation of our valuable aquatic animals. 



The society had its origin forty years ago in 

 the American Fish Cultural Society, which held 

 its first meeting December 20, 1870, in New 

 York City. It thus arose at the time when the 

 U. S. Fish Commission (now the U. S. Bureau 

 of Fisheries) was being organized by Prof. 

 Spencer F. Baird. The intense enthusiasm for 

 the study of fisheries jiroblems with which Pro- 

 fessor Baird fired all those with wlioni he came 

 in contact, was as largely responsible for the 

 organization of tlie society as it was for that of 

 the government work. Concerned in the forma- 

 tion of the society also were Wm. Clift, Rolit. 

 B. Roosevelt and Eugene G. Blackford, all early 

 presidents of the society and men deejily inter- 

 ested in the practical develoiiment of our fish- 

 eries. 



Tile work of the society, in its earlier years, 

 was largely confined to methods in fish culture, 

 but it has extended so as to embrace all jiroblems 

 connected with fish and fisheries of whatever 

 character. With tliis growth in the work of 

 the organization the name was changed to the 

 present one some years ago. 



The member.ship of the soeietv. wliicli now 

 numbers more than five hundred, includes the 

 names of nearly all the officials of the Bureau 

 of Fisheries and of the various state fish com- 

 missions, as well as those of biologists, anglers 

 and practical fishermen. 



It w.is fitting to liold this anniversary meet- 

 ing in New York Citv where the soeietv first 

 met and organized. The New York Zoological 

 Society provided a luncheon for the members on 

 Tuesday, and on Wednesday the American 

 ^fuseuni entertained the society at Imieheon in 

 the Darwin room. The arrangements for the 

 meeting were in the hands of a special anniver- 

 sary committee, of which Director Chas. H. 

 Townsend and Assistant Director Raymond C. 

 Osburn of the New York Aquarium were mem- 

 bers, and the same committee will have charge 

 of )iublishing the i)ro( ledings of this meeting. 



Hon. W. E. Meehan, State Fish Commissioner 

 of Pennsylvania, was elected president for the 

 coming j'ear, and St. Louis, Mo., was selected 

 as the next meeting place. R. C. O. 



STREAM PROTECTION IN EUROPE. 



A dramatic example of the results of protec- 

 tion of streams from pollution, even in large 

 towns, came under the notice of the writer dur- 

 ing the past summer. The Oos is a small river 

 which runs for a considerable proportion of its 

 course through the town of Baden Baden in the 

 Black Forest of Germany. The district around 

 it has been known and settled since Roman 

 times, although the river heads back into a for- 

 est covered mountain. In Baden Baden the 

 banks are not only made of dressed stone, but 

 for a half mile or more the bottom has actually 

 been paved with .stones. A series of small cas- 

 cades, equip|)ed with fish ways, vary the course 

 of the river, but in ajiiiearance it is a stream of 

 no s])ecial attraction excejjt for the clearness of 

 its water. 



At the head waters there has been for some 

 ten or fifteen years past a small fish hatchery, 

 and trout, including some American species, are 

 annuallv liberated in the stream. As a result 

 the river, in spite of the fact that there appears 

 to be little food for fish, actually swarms with 

 trout, chiefly the European brown trout, run- 

 ning three or four to the ])ound. These fish are 

 in jilain sioht under the main bridge of the 

 town of Baden Baden over which foot passen- 

 irers and vehicles are continually jiassing. Any 

 dav during the past summer there could be seen 

 Iialf a dozen brown trout, measuring a foot in 

 hiii>th. and two or three large rainbow trout 

 which certainly must have weighed fullv four to 

 six )3ounds apiece. These fish were objects of 

 great curiosity to passers-by, and seemed to be 

 entirelv without fear. No one disturbed them 

 and they rose voraciously to anv food or at- 

 tractive object thrown into the stream. In their 

 confidence in the good will of humanity tlie fisli 

 resembled the squirrels in Central Park. So 

 far as could be learned fishing licenses could be 

 had for a small sum, but no one eared to fish 

 publielv in the stone ))aved stream in tlie center 

 of tlie town. In the ujiper stretches of the river 

 the fishing was said to be exceptionally good. 



It is probable that under existing conditions 

 in America, where our enforcement of the law is 

 verv slack, no such protection in a thickly set- 

 tled town could be extended to fish. The en- 

 terprising small boy would unquestionably sret 

 these confiding fish out of the river on the first 



