712 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. [4] 



after their liberation; but after that nothing more was seen of them till 

 the spring of 1880, when some of them were again seen. Finally Mr. 

 Eijke succeeded in May, 1880, iu catching several of these salmon near 

 Fegelen. One of these fish put up in spirits of wine was sent me by Mr. 

 Eijke, and found to measure 14 centimeters. 



In 1879 the Dutch Government asked the American Government to 

 make another attempt to send salmon-eggs. The request was granted, 

 and the eggs, which had been carefully looked after during the voyage, 

 arrived at Rotterdam in excellent condition. The vessel which brought 

 them was the steamer "Schiedam," Captain Chevalier, of the Nether- 

 land -American Steamship Company. This company brought these eggs 

 to Europe free of expense, as the German Lloyd had done on former oc- 

 casions. The number of eggs was somewhat less than the year before, 

 viz, about 60,000 (59,300). Of these 10,146 perished during the hatch- 

 ing process— counting in, however, 1,200 which were already spoiled when 

 they arrived ; the loss during this attempt was therefore only 15 per 

 cent. During the umbilical period 2,154 more were lost (counting in 

 345 that were deformed). The total number of fish which were success- 

 fully hatched was, therefore, 46,000. 



As it seemed too great a risk to set out these young salmon in open 

 rivers, and as I knew of no small stream which fulfilled all the condi- 

 tions for their successful raising, I proposed to his excellency the minis- 

 ter this time to put all the young fish in the piscicultural establishment 

 of Mr. Nordhock Hegt, on the Zwaansprong, and to keep them there till 

 the spring of 1880. I made this proposition, because up to that time I 

 had not heard anything about any of the young salmon having been 

 caught which the year before had been set out near Blerik. As his 

 excellency granted my request, 45,500 young salmon were successfully 

 transported to the Zwaansprong, where they grew rapidly. According 

 to their size they are distributed through several ponds. The mortality 

 was very small, and it is probable that during the coming spring a large 

 number of young salmon can be set out in the Meuse. 



In the basins of the zoological garden at Amsterdam, I retained 500 

 of these fish. Some of these fish, which from the Zwaansprong were 

 taken to the piscicultural establishment at Velp, I saw last summer and 

 found them in excellent condition. The size of these young fish seems 

 to keep step with their voracity, which is truly astonishing, and which, 

 in spite of the ample and good food thrown to them, proved a consider- 

 able source of danger to their weaker brethren. 



The young fish from the hatching period, 1878-' 79— several hundred 

 in number — which are still in the Zwaansprong, measure at the present 

 time 22-23 centimeters, whilst young fry taken there in March, 1880, 

 measure 6-7 centimeters. 



It is a great satisfaction to me that Professor Baird has expressed his 

 willingness this year also to send some salmon-eggs to the Netherlands. 



The result of all our experiments so far may be summed up as fob 



