﻿REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  LXI 
  

  

  The 
  following 
  table 
  shows 
  the 
  air 
  temperatures 
  aud 
  the 
  amounts 
  of 
  

   rain 
  and 
  snow, 
  as 
  recorded 
  by 
  months: 
  

  

  In 
  addition 
  to 
  thousands 
  of 
  pounds 
  of 
  crawfish 
  removed 
  from 
  the 
  

   ponds, 
  the 
  following 
  enemies 
  of 
  fish 
  were 
  killed: 
  35 
  snakes, 
  18 
  turtles, 
  

   1 
  egret, 
  12 
  kingfishers, 
  1 
  grebe, 
  10 
  ducks, 
  2 
  flshhawks, 
  7 
  bitterns, 
  9 
  musk- 
  

   rats, 
  C 
  water-rats, 
  and 
  2 
  water-hens. 
  

  

  San 
  Makcos 
  Station, 
  Texas 
  (,Ioiin 
  L. 
  Leary, 
  Supehintendent). 
  

  

  Work 
  on 
  the 
  i^onds 
  was 
  sufticiently 
  advanced 
  to 
  permit 
  of 
  the 
  recep- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  brood 
  fish 
  in 
  December. 
  From 
  December 
  12 
  to 
  March 
  23 
  col- 
  

   lections 
  of 
  crappie, 
  black 
  bass, 
  and 
  rock 
  bass 
  were 
  secured 
  from 
  the 
  

   surrounding 
  streams, 
  200 
  rock 
  bass 
  being 
  taken 
  from 
  San 
  Marcos 
  River, 
  

   and 
  281 
  large-mouth 
  black 
  bass 
  from 
  the 
  San 
  Marcos 
  and 
  the 
  Blanco 
  

   Eiver, 
  3 
  miles 
  distant. 
  The 
  crappie 
  were 
  obtained 
  from 
  York 
  Oreek 
  

   and 
  from 
  the 
  Colorado 
  River 
  near 
  Austin. 
  Several 
  hundred 
  of 
  these 
  

   fish 
  were 
  secured 
  ; 
  but 
  as 
  it 
  was 
  necessary 
  to 
  haul 
  them 
  over 
  18 
  miles 
  

   of 
  rough 
  road, 
  thence 
  36 
  miles 
  by 
  rail, 
  all 
  but 
  199 
  of 
  them 
  perished 
  

   before 
  reaching 
  the 
  station. 
  The 
  muddy 
  state 
  of 
  the 
  water 
  also 
  aug- 
  

   mented 
  the 
  loss. 
  

  

  The 
  black 
  bass 
  were 
  placed 
  in 
  three 
  ponds 
  and 
  commenced 
  spawning 
  

   on 
  February 
  10, 
  the 
  time 
  when 
  they 
  were 
  seen 
  nesting 
  in 
  the 
  river. 
  

   Nesting 
  continued 
  at 
  intervals 
  until 
  June 
  1. 
  Contrary 
  to 
  their 
  habits 
  

   in 
  the 
  Eastern 
  States, 
  the 
  large-mouth 
  black 
  bass 
  in 
  Texas 
  deposit 
  their 
  

   eggs 
  on 
  the 
  clay, 
  first 
  sweeping 
  away 
  the 
  moss 
  and 
  weeds 
  with 
  their 
  

   tails. 
  To 
  thoroughly 
  test 
  this 
  matter, 
  patches 
  of 
  gravel 
  and 
  artificial 
  

   nests 
  were 
  placed 
  in 
  the 
  ponds, 
  but 
  in 
  no 
  instance 
  were 
  they 
  accepted, 
  

   and 
  observations 
  disclosed 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  all 
  of 
  the 
  bass 
  in 
  the 
  San 
  

   Marcos 
  River 
  deposit 
  their 
  eggs 
  on 
  clay 
  bottom. 
  

  

  As 
  soon 
  as 
  the 
  fry 
  had 
  attained 
  sufficient 
  size 
  they 
  were 
  transferred 
  

   from 
  the 
  breeding 
  to 
  the 
  rearing 
  ponds 
  by 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  dip 
  nets 
  and 
  of 
  

   small 
  seines 
  made 
  of 
  mosquito 
  netting. 
  The 
  food 
  furnished 
  consisted 
  

   of 
  crawfish, 
  the 
  flesh 
  and 
  roe 
  of 
  the 
  mullet, 
  and 
  beef 
  liver 
  finely 
  chopped. 
  

   An 
  experiment 
  was 
  made 
  in 
  feeding 
  the 
  salted 
  roe 
  of 
  the 
  cod, 
  but 
  it 
  was 
  

   not 
  readily 
  taken. 
  As 
  they 
  increased 
  in 
  size 
  the 
  fish 
  were 
  fed 
  on 
  such 
  

   minnows 
  as 
  could 
  be 
  captured 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  ; 
  the 
  young 
  of 
  the 
  mud 
  shad 
  

   seemed 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  most 
  acceptable. 
  With 
  the 
  view 
  to 
  providing 
  a 
  supply 
  

   of 
  live 
  food 
  an 
  attempt 
  was 
  made 
  to 
  rear 
  young 
  carp. 
  As 
  only 
  a 
  small 
  

   number 
  could 
  be 
  secured, 
  however, 
  42 
  buffalo-fish 
  were 
  substituted, 
  but 
  

   the 
  results 
  were 
  not 
  successful. 
  Mud 
  shad 
  proved 
  better 
  adapted 
  for 
  

  

  