SALMON HATCHING ON m'cLOUD RIVER, CALIFORNIA, 1878.759 



then gently removing the upper layer of moss with the miisliu, and lifting 

 up the eggs with the inuslin underneath them, and carefully immersing 

 the eggs in the trough inunediately alongside the packing boxes, so that 

 in each case the eggs in the muslin cloth were not carried beyond 3 or 

 4 feet before immersing in the water. It was observable that little or 

 no life was noticed by movement of the embryos as is usually the case 

 when handling them, but the faint opaque white line became more ap- 

 parent when placed in the water. I took part personally with my men 

 in opening two of the crates, noting the above particulars. The oi^ening 

 of the other three crates was performed by my assistants in the same 

 manner and with precisely the same results. 



Question 8. Did all the crates open just alike, or were some in worse 

 condition than others "? 



Answer. There was no perceptible difference in the crates. My as- 

 sistant thought one slightly better looking, but in the end all proved 

 alike. 



Question 9. Did any of the eggs appear to have hatched. on the way? 



Answer. I may say, no. There were, however, just half a dozen or 

 so that gave signs of premature hatching, but the number was so trifling 

 as hardly to deserve notice. 



Having answered your queries as clearly as I possibly can, I hope you 

 may glean something from them that may give a clew to the loss. I 

 must say that I cannot imagine the real cause. What strikes me with 

 great surprise, is hoAV it was that all the other consignments turned out 

 so well and mine so badly. The inference would be that the difficulty 

 must have taken place at Chicago in reshipping, or on the road from 

 that place to this. From what I can learn, the time taken between 

 Chicago and here by express is about 48 hours. At what time the eggs 

 reached Chicago from Sacramento I have not precisely learned, but I 

 think I saw some notice of the arrival of a car load of California eggs 

 at that place about the 2d or 3d of October. If this were the case, and 

 it was the same shipment by which mine came, no time would have been 

 lost between Chicago and here for their carriage. 



The next question arises, how many transhipments were there be- 

 tween the places, and could injmy have been caused whilst transhipping? 

 Not getting any bill of lading of their shipment at Chicago or upon 

 their arrival here, I cannot particularly answer this ; but there would 

 no doubt be a transhipment at Detroit from the American road to the 

 Canadian or Great Western Eailway to reach Hamilton and Toronto. 

 At Toronto there would be another transhipment from the Great West- 

 ern line to the Grand Trunk Eailway in order to reach Newcastle. This 

 would make tivo changes of cars (or three if a change was made at Ham- 

 ilton for Toronto), with new express carriers at each change, and from 

 the great monopoly of the express company, and consequent careless- 

 ness of many of its employes, roughness of handling the crates, on 

 account of their size and weight, might be the cause of injury, or heated 



