SHAD PROPAGATION AND DISTRIBUTION IN 1878. 617 



to contain about fifteen or eighteen quarts — can be carried out in the 

 boats, and the spawn as soon as it is impregnated and "rises" can be 

 immediately turned into this bucket, where it can receive much better 

 care before reaching the hatcliing station, and the vessel can then be 

 placed where a stream of water can be introduced, and the entire opera- 

 tion, from the time the eggs are impregnated t<5 tlie time the fish are 

 taken out, can be carried on in the vessel without transferring or moving 

 the eggs. 



The experimental device of Mr. Wroten is a little crude in its con- 

 struction, but with another year's use, and the improvements which will 

 be suggested, it is quite likely to be considered as a valuable acquisition 

 to the apparatus for fish-hatching. 



The Maryland yacht Lookout, which was at the station, had also, on 

 its forward decks, six cones which were employed in hatching eggs and 

 in two efforts to transport large quantities of fish to the waters of the 

 Potomac and streams in Virginia and Maryland. 



At Avoca station a few experiments were made in taking herring- 

 spawn, with very good success ; the variety was the so-called glut or 

 small-eyed herring, which here runs high up the streams; the larger- 

 eyed herring remaining down the bay — an instance of opposed habits 

 in the same si)ecies in different regions, as in the Potomac the so-called 

 branch herring runs up the streams, and the glut remains in the open 

 waters. The eggs were handled in precisely the same manner as those 

 of the shad 5 they had rather a tendency to adhere to the sides of the 

 pan or whatever they touched, but still with a little pains were washed 

 free, and were put into the buckets to hatch the same way as the shad. 

 The young were very minute, and it was impossible to keep them in the 

 vessels, because they were small enough to shp through 5 the wire-cloth 

 that we had in use being only twenty-four meshes to the inch. 



About the end of Aj)ril the large seines began to cut out, the great 

 flood of herring making it unprofitable to continue fishing, as the shad 

 all abandoned the shores. 



On the 29th of April, the revenue-cutter E. A. Stevens reported for duty 

 in affording facilities for our work. As the last seine, the one at Avoca 

 Beach, which had proved so profitable to our work, was to cut out on 

 the 1st of Maj', and the steamer Lookout was at hand expecting to carry 

 back a large stock of fish and eggs to the Potomac Eiver, it was deter- 

 mined to get rid of all the young fish on hand and have the Stevens tow 

 the barges as far as Norfolk, if not farther. On the morning of the 2d of 

 May the barges were tied behind the steamer, and we started down the 

 Sound, lying over at night in the narrow cut south of the entrance to the 

 Albemarle and Chesapeake Canal. On the morning of the 4th we reached 

 the navy-yard at Norfolk, having had some trouble in getting through 

 the shoal passages and cuts with the long string of barges. We were 

 tied to the anchor-buoys at the navy -yard, and the steamer retiu^ned to 

 Albemarle Sound. About four o'clock the same afternoon the revenue- 



