34* REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISnERIES. 



per cent., witli the exception of tliose sent to Europe, of wliicli mention 

 will be made hereafter. 



Nearly all the fish commissioners of the Eastern States reported the 

 arrival of their quota in most admirable condition. 



In the Appendix will be found the detailed report of Mr. Stone upon 

 the work of 1877. In this is a very important series of indications of 

 temj)eratures. From this it will be seen that during the season, when the 

 eggs were being erabryonized for shiiiment, namely, from August 28 to 

 October, tlie temperature of the water varied from 48° to 58°, that of the 

 air occasionally rising to 100°. The hatching was completed, however, 

 with the water a few degrees lower. 



The total yield of the season, up to the Otliof October was a little over 

 7,000,000, about 1,000,000 more being taken afterward. The distribution 

 of these eggs was made to twenty States, in addition to which a sujiply 

 was sent to Germany, the ISTetherlands, England, France, Canada, 

 Australia, and New Zealand. The total number of fish distributed from 

 the various stations amounted to 0,983,000. 



Foreign disfrihiition of eggs of the Pacific salmon. — The very high es- 

 timation of the California salmon by the fish-breeders of the United 

 States, based ni)ou its hardiness, freedom from disease, rapidity of 

 growth, voracity of feeding, &c., excited much attention among special- 

 ists in this line in Europe, and in the summer of 1876 application was 

 made in behalf of Dr. Friedenthal, minister of agriculture of Germany, 

 through the German commissioner at the Centennial, lor the transmis- 

 sion of a supiily of eggs of this fish. Similar requests were made by the 

 officers of the Deutsche Fischerei Verein, an institution standing tar in 

 advance of all others in Europe organized for the protection and im- 

 provement of the national fisheries. 



It was impossible to meet this call in 1876, but in 1877 arrangements 

 to that eifect were made, after an extended correspondence. Mr. Fred 

 Mather was selected to accompany these eggs to Europe, it being un- 

 derstood that his expenses were to be paid by the German Government 

 and the Fisherei-Verein. Xo charge was made by the United States for 

 the eggs, their donation being considered right and proper, in view of 

 the fact that Germany had presented, in 1873, 250,000 eggs of the Ehine 

 salmon to the United States. 



It was arranged that Mr. Mather was to meet the eggs at Chicago, 

 and that no portion of his expenses from that point to Germjiny and 

 back to New York was to be chargeable to the United States. 



On the 7th of October, 1877, a refrigerator car ft-om California reached 

 Chicago with its precious freight of salmon eggs, and Mr. IMather, who 

 was in attendance, received two crates of eggs for England, to be sent 

 to Frank Buckland; two crates for France, for the Soci6t6 d' Acclimata- 

 tiou, Paris ; two crates for the Deutsche Fischerei- Yerein, Germany ; two 

 for Dr. Friedenthal, minister of agriculture in Germany ; and four for 



