XVI -REPORT ON OVERLAND TRIP TO CALIFORNIA WITH 

 LIVING FISHES, 1879. 



By Livingston Stone. 



Hon. Spencer F. Baird, 



United States Commissioner of Fish and Fisheries : 



Sir : I have the honor to report as follows : 



In compliance with the request of the California fish commissioners 

 to bring lobsters, striped bass, eels, and black bass to California, I began 

 preparations on the 27th of March, 1879, for an overland trip with the 

 above-mentioned varieties of fish. 



It will be observed that two of these fishes are salt-water species. 

 Kow, a double difficult} attends the transportation of fishes inhabiting 

 salt water. In the first place, ocean water becomes fonl when confined 

 in tanks, and in the secoud place it is incapable of being kept cold en 

 route by the introduction of ice, which, of course, would freshen the 

 water to a fatal degree. I will take up by itself the first difficulty, viz, 

 that of the ocean water becoming foul en route. 



It is well known that ocean water contains an infinite number of micro- 

 scopic insects commonly called by the general term animalcule. It is 

 equally true, though not so well known, that these animalcule are the 

 cause of the fouling of ocean water when confined in tanks. 



I have found but two ways of getting rid of this insect life in the water 

 without spoiling the water. One way is to boil the water. This effect- 

 ually destroys the animal life in it, but it also initiates a series of chem- 

 ical changes, the result of which is that it precipitates a reddish-brown 

 substance and daily loses more and more of its natural saltness, either 

 of which circumstances would unfit it for sustaining the life of salt- 

 water fishes. This puts boiled ocean water out of the question alto- 

 gether. 



The other way to get rid of the animalcule in the water is to let it 

 stand two or three weeks, covered and perfectly still. At the end of 

 that time the microscopic creatures will be found at the bottom of the 

 tanks in the form of a deposit of slime. The water above will be per- 

 fectly sweet and clear, and will remain so indefinitely. 



After trying both ways of clarifying the ocean water I adopted the 



latter method of letting it stand, and put nearly a thousand gallons in 



process of preparation. Much of this was spoiled from having been put 



iu casks not absolutelv clean, and from other causes, but there was 



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