REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. XXV 



Post-Office Department. — In December a daily mail was substi- 

 tuted for a semi-weekly mail to Baird, Cal., from Bedding, by order of 

 George M. Sweeny, Acting Second Assistant Postmaster-General. 



Senate and House op Eepresentatives. — Folding -Rooms. — The 

 superintendents of the Senate and House folding-rooms kindly con- 

 sented to envelop the Fish Commission reports for 1881 as heretofore. 



Health Office. — Statistics of the Washington fish-market have 

 been furnished in monthly tables, which, after being compiled in the 

 Fish Commission Office, w ere ijublished in the Bulletin for 1885. 



B. — By the Railroads of the United States. 



Since the introduction of transportation- cars the distribution of fish 

 and eggs in the baggage-cars of the ordinary passenger trains has been 

 largely given up, being now employed only for localities within a few 

 miles of Washington or some other fish distributing center. 



Many of the railroads in the United States have agreed to carry these 

 cars on passenger trains for a small sum, generally not to exceed 20 

 cents per mile for the car and five messengers. A list of the principal 

 roads charging 20 cents per mile or less will be found in the supple- 

 ment. 



While the greater part of this service was furnished at the rate of 20 



cents per mile, not less than 8,176 miles of transportation were furnished 



entirely free of cost. This, at the rate mentioned, would amount to 



$1,635.20. 



C. — By Steamship Companies. 



The foreign steamship companies have continued their usual liberal 

 treatment of the Commission by the free transportation of fish and eggs, 

 no charge having been made by them for the many sendings to Europe 

 or for those received in return. 



The shipments made through these agencies are shown under the fol- 

 lowing headings: 



D. — Courtesies from Foreign Countries. 



Germany. — Another attempt to send blue earp from Germany was suc- 

 cessfully made by Herr Max von dem Borne. On March 5th the steam- 

 ship Werra left Bremen with 100 blue leather carp, of which number 

 45 arrived in New York on March 17. Mr. E. Hessel, superintendent of 

 the carp ponds at Washington, met them in New York and immediately 

 transported them to Washington. The fish, although weak on their 

 arrival, were in a few days in good condition. 



On February 15th 60,000 eggs of the German trout {Salmofario) from 

 Herr von Behr, were received and repacked by Fred Mather. Sixteen 

 thousand were of the large variety, and 44,000 were of the small kind. 

 Some of each were sent to Caledonia, N. Y., and to the Cold Spring 

 Harbor, Northville, and Wytheville Stations. 



