﻿REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  CXXI 
  

  

  echiuoderms; 
  Mr. 
  W. 
  A. 
  Redenbaugb, 
  Daitmontli 
  College, 
  nervous 
  sys- 
  

   tem 
  of 
  horseshoe 
  crab; 
  Mr. 
  H. 
  M.Chase, 
  Dartmouth 
  College, 
  anatomy 
  

   of 
  elasmobrauchs; 
  Mr. 
  Ellis 
  Kerr, 
  Northwestern 
  University, 
  urino- 
  

   genital 
  system 
  of 
  amphibia; 
  Mr. 
  H. 
  B. 
  Cragin, 
  Northwestern 
  Univer- 
  

   sity, 
  development 
  of 
  olfactory 
  nerve 
  and 
  histogenesis 
  of 
  nasal 
  epithelium 
  

   in 
  Amhli/stoma; 
  Mr. 
  W. 
  H. 
  Dudley, 
  anatomy 
  and 
  development 
  of 
  the 
  

   lateral-line 
  sense 
  organs 
  in 
  killifish; 
  Dr. 
  H. 
  V. 
  Neal. 
  

  

  NOTES 
  ON 
  FISHES, 
  FISH-FOOD, 
  AND 
  FISH 
  DISEASES. 
  

  

  Reappearance 
  of 
  tilefisli. 
  — 
  The 
  history 
  of 
  the 
  discovery 
  of 
  the 
  tilefish 
  

   {Lopholatilus 
  chamwleonficeps) 
  in 
  1879, 
  followed 
  by 
  its 
  almost 
  complete 
  

   extermination 
  from 
  natural 
  causes 
  in 
  1882, 
  forms 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  inter- 
  

   esting 
  chapters 
  in 
  connection 
  with 
  the 
  food-fishes 
  of 
  the 
  Atlantic 
  coast. 
  

   In 
  1892 
  the 
  Grampus, 
  as 
  a 
  result 
  of 
  a 
  special 
  search, 
  succeeded 
  in 
  taking 
  

   8 
  specimens 
  between 
  Marthas 
  Vineyard 
  and 
  the 
  capes 
  of 
  Delaware, 
  the 
  

   first 
  that 
  had 
  been 
  met 
  with 
  since 
  the 
  great 
  mortality 
  which 
  befell 
  the 
  

   species 
  ten 
  years 
  previously. 
  In 
  1897 
  the 
  tilefish 
  was 
  accidentally 
  

   taken 
  in 
  such 
  numbers 
  as 
  to 
  suggest 
  a 
  considerable 
  body 
  of 
  fish 
  and 
  to 
  

   warrant 
  the 
  hope 
  that 
  the 
  early 
  expectations 
  of 
  its 
  taking 
  a 
  i)lace 
  

   among 
  the 
  food 
  products 
  of 
  the 
  country 
  may 
  eventually 
  be 
  realized 
  . 
  The 
  

   78-ton 
  schooner 
  Mabel 
  Kenniston, 
  of 
  Gloucester, 
  Mass., 
  was 
  overtaken 
  by 
  

   a 
  gale 
  on 
  Georges 
  Bank 
  on 
  February 
  8, 
  1897, 
  and 
  was 
  blown 
  120 
  miles 
  

   to 
  the 
  westward. 
  After 
  the 
  gale 
  was 
  over 
  haddock 
  trawls 
  were 
  set 
  in 
  

   65 
  fathoms 
  of 
  water, 
  and 
  when 
  the 
  lines 
  were 
  hauled 
  30 
  tilefish 
  were 
  

   caught, 
  weighing 
  from 
  to 
  lo 
  pounds 
  apiece. 
  Dogfish 
  were 
  very 
  abun- 
  

   dant 
  and 
  troublesome, 
  otherwise 
  the 
  captain 
  thought 
  he 
  would 
  have 
  

   taken 
  fully 
  100 
  tilefish. 
  They 
  were 
  landed 
  at 
  Gloucester 
  February 
  IG, 
  

   and 
  were 
  all 
  eaten 
  locally 
  and 
  pronounced 
  '' 
  better 
  than 
  salmon." 
  The 
  

   weather 
  was 
  very 
  thick, 
  and 
  the 
  vessel's 
  position 
  when 
  fishing 
  could 
  not 
  

   be 
  definitely 
  determined, 
  but 
  it 
  was 
  104 
  miles 
  southwest 
  of 
  No 
  Man's 
  

   Land, 
  in 
  latitude 
  about 
  39° 
  40' 
  and 
  longitude 
  about 
  72° 
  10'. 
  

  

  The 
  hluejin 
  whitejish 
  in 
  LaJce 
  Superior. 
  — 
  Up 
  to 
  a 
  few 
  j^ears 
  ago 
  the 
  

   bluefin 
  or 
  blackfin 
  whitefish 
  {Argyrosonius 
  nigripinnis) 
  was 
  known 
  only 
  

   from 
  Lake 
  Michigan 
  and 
  some 
  small 
  lakes 
  in 
  Wisconsin 
  and 
  Minnesota. 
  

   It 
  has 
  recently, 
  however, 
  come 
  into 
  prominence 
  in 
  Lake 
  Superior, 
  where, 
  

   in 
  some 
  sections, 
  it 
  is 
  now 
  extremely 
  abundant. 
  Vague 
  reports 
  of 
  the 
  

   occasional 
  capture 
  of 
  a 
  "blackfin" 
  in 
  Lake 
  Superior 
  have 
  reached 
  the 
  

   Commission 
  from 
  time 
  to 
  time, 
  but 
  it 
  was 
  not 
  until 
  1897 
  that 
  specimens 
  

   of 
  this 
  species 
  came 
  into 
  the 
  possession 
  of 
  the 
  office 
  ; 
  these 
  were 
  three 
  

   in 
  number, 
  and 
  were 
  sent 
  by 
  Mr. 
  S. 
  P. 
  Wires, 
  the 
  superintendent 
  of 
  the 
  

   Government 
  hatching 
  station 
  at 
  Duluth, 
  Minn. 
  

  

  The 
  coming 
  into 
  prominence 
  of 
  the 
  bluefin 
  in 
  Lake 
  Superior 
  is 
  analo- 
  

   gous 
  to 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  longjaw 
  {Argyrosomus 
  prognathus) 
  in 
  Lake 
  Ontario. 
  

   Both 
  were 
  brought 
  to 
  the 
  notice 
  of 
  the 
  fishermen 
  after 
  a 
  very 
  marked 
  

   decrease 
  in 
  abundance 
  of 
  the 
  common 
  whitefish 
  ( 
  Oorcgonus 
  aUipeiformifi), 
  

   whose 
  place 
  they 
  seem, 
  to 
  a 
  considerable 
  extent, 
  to 
  have 
  occupied. 
  

  

  