MASON COLLECTING LIVING STRIPED BASS IN 1879. GG5 



dition Sunday I succeeded in finding two specimens of fry that may 

 have been those of the striped bass ; the full bag beneath the throat 

 showed them to be but a few days old. All further attempts to obtain 

 specimens for preservation were fruitless. 



Saturday the seine was hauled as far up stream as the boats would 

 float, but no bass less than 3 inches in length were caught* and but six in 

 all. A pair of shad having just spawned were taken in 3 feet of water, 

 over three miles from tide- water. The bass in the tanks did finely with 

 brackish water, C4° to G7°. Aeration was constant. Watched, myself, 

 Friday and Saturday nights, and experimented with ice and salt water 

 until I found what degree of saltness seemed to suit them best. Also 

 tried a few bass in clear spring water, but they did not thrive therein. 

 Put fifty small eels, caught in the mud with a net of mosquito bar, into 

 the tin tank filled with spring water, temperature 55° ; found that they 

 needed no care. 



The tide was high late Saturday night, and no haul was made until 

 nearly midnight. To avoid handling the fish, the tanks, ice, &c, were 

 taken in the fishing boats. Seven fine medium-sized bass were taken 

 in the course of four hauls, and put into a tank under similar conditions 

 as the small bass. 



In spite of continued threats of arrest, the men were almost con- 

 stantly at work Monday and Tuesday, but very few fish were taken; 

 the air and water were very warm, 90° and 82° respectively, and it was 

 with difficulty that the fish were brought to the wharf alive. An awn- 

 ing was rigged over the tanks and every precaution was used to ward 

 off the sun's rays, which I found almost instant death, especially to the 

 larger fish. At times the fish would come to the top of the water for 

 some hours in spite of every effort to keep them down ; again, they 

 would stay perfectly quiet on the bottom for several hours. I was un- 

 able for some time to explain their actions, but finally it occurred to me 

 that at low tide the water from the river being fresher than at high tide, 

 when the water in the tanks was renewed at low tide and ice in consid- 

 erable quantities added, the water became too fresh and the fish suffered. 

 This led to the necessity of adding salt in some form in order to main- 

 tain a steady degree of saltness. The sea salt was tried and to my sur- 

 prise and pleasure worked to a charm. After Wednesday morning fresh 

 spring water with sea salt added was gradually substituted for the turbid 

 water from the river, until, when I left, Thursday uoon, at least half the 

 contents of the tauks was made up of artificial brackish water. About 

 a handful of salt to a pail of water seemed about the right proportion. 



Tuesd ty night I put fifteen medium-sized bass in a wooden car and 

 sunk them in the river where the tide ran strongly. In the morning 

 seven only were alive, showing how easily bass will die when put under 

 restraint. 



The hauling was continued Wednesday, but as I had sixty small bass, 

 2| to 4 J inches long, and thirty medium-sized bass, 6 to 8 inches long, 



