244 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



delivered iintnediately, but it was soou found that a considerable uumber 

 of theiu could be kept iu a boat over uigbt when anchored in a current, 

 an<l after that transportation by nigbt was seldom attempted. The dis- 

 tance from the Bucksport landing to the nearest weir that furnished 

 breeding salmon was less than half a mile, and to the farthest less than 

 five miles. They were all in the towns of Verona and Stockton. 



The collection of salmon might have begun as early as May 1, but 

 the price was at that date high and only small numbers were caught. 

 ;By the 1st day of June they were more plenty and the price had fallen 

 to 30 cents per pound. The first salmon was received June 1, but they 

 came in slowly during the tirst eight days, only twenty -five being re- 

 ceived during that time. On the rOth, however, came twenty-three 

 salmon, and on the 11th forty-eight, the largest number received on any 

 one day of the season. 



On the arrival of a salmon-boat, a dray carrying a large wooden 

 box was backed down into the water, so that the boat could be drawn 

 up to it, and the salmon dipped over into the box, which was partly 

 filled with water. The box was three feet long, two wide, and two 

 deep, containing, therefore, nearly ninety gallons of water when full. It 

 was provided with a sliding cover, and a single hole in the center of this 

 was found to admit an ample supply of air. A salmon of average size 

 could lie at length in it easily, but one of the largest size could do so 

 only wlien in a diagonal position. Six or eight salmon were commonly 

 put into a box together, and this number sustained but little injury dur- 

 ing the overland journey of one mile. As soon as a box had received 

 its complement of fish it was filled- brimful of water and drawn to the 

 pond, where it arrived in about twenty minutes. The dray was backed 

 into the pond until the box floated, or nearly so, and the salmon turned 

 out gently. Some of them swam ofl" at once into deep water, but often 

 they were very sluggish, and lay for a long time in the edge of the 

 water. A few died immediately, and others after a day or two. When 

 the river-water with which the boxes were filled was cool and clear the 

 salmon suffered much less than when it was warm and roily. 



A part of the mortality was doubtless due to injuries received by the 

 fish in dipping them rom the weirs, or in transferring them to the boxes. 

 Some were injured by rushing violently against the gratings in the boat, 

 or against the sides of the boxes. This happened frequently during 

 the last ten days of the collecting season, for the salmon had then be- 

 come more restive than at first. The increased restlessness and ac- 

 tivity of salmon at that time is recognized by fishermen, who call these 

 salmon "jumpers," with reference to the habit of jumping into the air, 

 which is observed oftenest at that date, (about the 1st of July,) and 

 which is regarded as the characteristic of a particular school of salmon. 

 This phenomenon, which appears to be pretty well established, might be 

 supposed to be caused by the influence of an increase in the temperature 

 of the water, but the observations made at Buckport, in the Penobscot, 



