60 EEPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. [6] 



As soon as the vessel was moored, the schooner was taken alongside 

 and the coal transferred dnring the 9th. 



The first shad eggs were taken on the 12th, G6,000 being procured 

 from both fisheries. They were not in good condition, many beiug un- 

 ripe and the milt hard; but they were put into the cones, more to test 

 the apparatus than from any expectation of satisfactory results. 



Eggs were taken on the 13th, 14th, and 15th ; total number, including 

 those of the 12th, 283,000. i^o ripe fish were found during the 16th, 

 17th, and 18th. A fair proportion of the eggs taken were impregnated, 

 and the development, although slow, was apparently normal, except the 

 eyes, which were very small, barely visible to the naked eye. 



The embryos from eggs taken on the 12th died on the 19th, either 

 before or immediately after leaving the shell. The temperature of the 

 water ranged between 50° and 58°, much too low for successful hatch- 

 ing. Eggs were taken again on the 19th and every day after that until 

 the 30th. Those taken from the 13th to the 15th died on the 22d and 

 23d under similar conditions to those of the 12th. The range of tem- 

 perature was from 50^ to 61°. 



From the 23d to the 30th, the water varied from 57° to 71^ in the 

 hatching cones; and although the frequent changes operated against us, 

 a fair proportion of eggs were hatched. Five hundred thousand her- 

 ring eggs were taken on the 25th, of which about 200,000 hatched on 

 the 30th and were deposited in the sound. Great quantities of the lat- 

 ter fish were taken at the fisheries, but no ripe females were found ex- 

 cept those mentioned above. 



Our work ceased at Avoca on the 30th of April, and preparations 

 were made for immediate departure. The eggs on board were trans- 

 ferred to the Xorth Carolina Commission, the young fish deposited in 

 the sound, boats taken on board, and ship unmoored ready for an early 

 start. 



The results of tlie season's work at Avoca are briefly as follows : 



Shad eggs taken 5, 727, 000 



Herring eggs taken 500, 000 



Total eggs taken 6, 227, 000 



Shad hatched 1,328, 000 



Herring hatched 200, 000 



Total 1, 528, 000 



Shad eggs transferred to North Carolina Commission, 3,029,500. 



The sbad eggs were procured from 196 females, 189 males being used 

 for impregnation. The average number of eggs from each female was 

 30,300. 



The arrangement of pipes and valves is such that water can be pumped 

 back into the distributing tanks from the waste-pipe using it over and 

 over as often as desired. In order to ascertain the practicability of 



