852 KEPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



by Mr. Clark, and coming in the same car, were spoiled in transit ; on 

 being opened by Mr, Woodbury and myself tliey stunk and were putrid. 

 They had been placed near the stove by the express agent to prevent 

 them freezing. Ours had been less considerately treated and arrived 

 (in 'Frisco) sound and lively, as I had proof, every box having been 

 opened and examined by Mr. Woodbury in my presence. We then as- 

 certained their temperature and gave them a drenching with water at a sim- 

 ilar heat, screwed them up, reversed their position, and placed them upon 

 and under ice in the Pacific Mail Company's ice-house." 



It is evident, therefore, that the ova were all right so far; whether the 

 treatment I have underlined was judicious you will be able to judge. 

 My own impression is that the mischief commenced toward this end of 

 the journey. Don't you think it would be better to pack them in tin 

 boxes inside the wood ? The wood boxes were quite sodden and rotting, 

 and four of them had the lids loose. The holes, top and bottom, seem 

 also a mistake, as they i)romote drainage of the melting ice-water 

 through the ova and may cause them to hatch. Holes on side and bot- 

 tom would be better. Also, I would suggest that each piece of screen 

 carrying ova should be stitched on a light frame resting on corner- 

 pieces, so as to take the weight off the bottom layers and to prevent sag- 

 ging in the central part. But I hope to get authority to ask you to 

 repeat the experiment, when I will write all my suggestions at length. 



The shipment of S. salar from Great Britain has been again a failure. 

 Fifty thousand ova were packed in fifty-six boxes ! Most of them seem 

 not to have been impregnated, and at most only a few hundred hatched 

 out. This is a great contrast to the success of the California salmon. 

 Yours, very truly, 



JAMES HECTOE. 



Prof. Spencer F. Baird, 



Washington. 



J. a Firth to S. F. Baird. 



Auckland, K Z., May 2, 1878. 

 Dear Sir : I regret to have to inform you that the half million white- 

 fish ova which you were good enough to transmit to this colony, and the 

 transshii^ment of which at this port the New Zealand Government in- 

 trusted to me, have turned out badly so far as yet known. I think, 

 probably, that the ova and moss were too much compressed — the moss 

 being very hard and the netting adhering, the ova presenting the ap- 

 pearance of having been crushed. In the box left at Auckland all but 

 30 ova were dead, and these only appear to have escaped by reason of 

 there being less pressure at the sides than elsewhere. Mr. Creighton, 

 our secretary, appears to have taken every precaution to secure success. 

 Captain Dearborn, of the City of Sydney, Halifax mail line, and his ofi&- 



