American Fisheries Society. 121 



know these spawning beds are ravaged during the entire season. 

 They are exposed for a period of four to six months, according 

 to the locahty, to all kinds of depredations and all kinds of 

 spawn-eating fishes. We would certainly save that, besides the 

 increased percentage of fertilization. 



Mr. Davis: I think there is a mistaken idea in regard to the 

 impregnation of eggs in water. We know by actual experience 

 with some fish, at least, there is a large percentage of impregna- 

 tion in the water, and even in a small current. You take the black 

 bass, in our experiments during the last two or three years, we 

 know by actual experiments that a large, proportion of those eggs 

 are impregnated in water. In my opinion, the destruction of 

 the eggs by their natural enemies instead oi lack of impregnation, 

 is the reason your results may be so small. Mr. Bower will re- 

 member that last spring, in our little pond at Cascade, where we 

 conducted our experiments, we got as high as ten thousand black 

 bass from one pair of fish, estimated. And this is natural impreg- 

 nation in water. About five thousand bass to each pair, and it 

 strikes me that that in a measure destroys the theory that the eggs 

 will not impregnate in water. 



Dr. Parker: I wish to call attention to the fact that we 

 are' digressing entirely from this paper. 



The Chair: That is true, but these subjects are so intimately 

 related, and the discussion is so interesting, it seems to me very 

 practical, and we will not draw the line as closely as we would 

 otherwise. Mr. Post desired to say something upon that other 

 matter, and he was given permission. 



Mr. Nevin: In the fall of 1868 and '69 salmon used to run 

 up the Salmon Creek, on Lake Ontario, by the thousands. We 

 put up a shed there 80 feet long and 30 feet wide, turning the 

 stream practically through the shed. We went to work and built 

 racks about four feet wide and laid them along the width of this 

 floor, and put in wire screens. We thought by allowing the 

 salmon to go on spawning naturally we would get better results. 

 We let the spawning end, and we did not hatch one per cent. It 

 was practically a failure to allow the fish to spawn naturally in 

 that water. 



Dr. Parker: Since the discussion has taken this form, I would 

 like, to say this: That nature in her wisdom always provides 

 for the continuance of the species, and in those animals — not- 

 ably the fish — where the destruction of the eggs and young is 



