910 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



Extract from the Weser Zeitung of October 25, 1878. 



[Translation.] 



When we made a detailed report relative to the first transport of Cal- 

 ifornia Salmon eggs to Europe last year (No. 11062 and 11063, 1st and 

 2d November, 1877), we unfortunately could record but a partial suc- 

 cess: of 300,000 eggs, only 25,000 arrived in a perfect state. This 

 was the lot brought ov^er in the chest constructed by Mr. Mather, and 

 described in last year's report. The rest of the eggs, which had been 

 packed in moss and gauze, which Mr. Mather was not authorized to 

 repack after his plan, were all spoiled, as, in consequence of the heat 

 produced by the decay of the moss, all the eggs had been hatched. In 

 spite of this failure, the problem of transporting salmon eggs over great 

 distances has been brilliantly solved. The second transport of 250,000 

 California saknon eggs, which arrived to- day, in the Lloyd steamer 

 Oder, Captain Leist, has confirmed the views formerly expressed. The 

 eggs, just arrived, like last year's, come from the United States breed- 

 ing establishment on the McCloud River, in California, about 200 miles 

 from Sacramento. They left the latter city in an ice-car of the Pacific 

 Eailroad, September 28, and on reaching Chicago were taken in charge 

 by Mr. Mather, who was commissioned to escort the sending to Europe. 

 Mr. Mather rej)acked the eggs in his chests, which had been improved 

 since last year, and embarked on board the Oder, which, after a quick 

 and pleasant passage, arrived in the Weser this morning at about nine 

 o'clock. Mr. Mather was received by Mr. Finsch, who has repeatedly 

 represented the German Society of Fish-breeders, also by Mr. Haack, di- 

 rector of the Imperial Fishbreeding Establishment, in Hiiniugen, both 

 congratulating Mr. Mather most sincerely and heartily upon his brill- 

 iant success, which was immediately announced by telegTaph to the 

 highly-deserving president of the society, Herr von Behr-Schmol- 

 dow. According to the orders of the managers of the society, 45,000 

 eggs will be transferred to Hiiningen, to go eventually to the Rhine ; 

 115,000 to the renowned breeding estabhshment of Mayor Schuster, 

 near Freiburg (Baden), for the Rhine and Danube; 2,000 to Bonn and 

 Miinden (Hannover) -, 30,000 to the establishment in Hameln, for the 

 Weser, and 58,000 have been sent off to Berlin this evening, where they 

 are to be subdivided among various smaller estabhshments, under the 

 management of the well-known fish-breeder. Max von dem Borne; the 

 Mark, part of Silesia, Saxony, and Mecklenburg being the recipients. 

 Besides the eggs intended for Germany, Mr. Mather brought over 100,000 

 for Holland, 100,000 for France, and 15,000 for England ; all of which 

 arrived in an equally good condition, the loss amounting to scarcely ^ 

 per cent. ; that is no more than would be the case in breeding establish- 

 ments. After this success there is no longer a doubt that salmon eggs 

 can be carried just as well to Australia. The California salmon {Salmo 



