72 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. [8] 
nailed across the bottom, from end to end, affords additional strength 
and protection from injury. Two stout iron straps fastened across each 
end-piece by strong screws, and terminating above the edge in rings, 
furnish the means of suspending this sieve against the side of the vessel, 
outside the rail. The mud is then placed in it, often filling it more than 
half full, and a gentle stream of water from the force-pump is turned 
upon it. In this way several bushels of mud may be washed out in a 
few minutes, with little trouble. Another sieve, with straight wooden 
sides about 6 or 8 inches high, just large enough to set partially into 
the frame of the cradle-sieve and rest upon wooden cleats provided for 
that purpose, has been sometimes used by us in connection with the 
cradle-sieve. Its bottom is made of strong, galvanized-wire netting, 
with meshes of 4 inch. It serves to separate the coarser specimens and 
stones from the smaller and more delicate species. 
In our own work the table-sieve, described below, has, to a consider- 
able extent, superseded the cradle-sieve. The latter is still used, how- 
ever, when there is only a moderate quantity of mud, or when the table- 
sieve is already full of unassorted specimens. 
Dimensions of cradle-sieve. 
Inches. 
1 Beh a4 9 § Memmi ont SHO See etn LA NOON PT RST 7 iva eM CBI 36 
Se Gh oe Sesh Sx reine ied oe Manet ake oe ark i oy ce ae eas 21S ode 18 
Depths: 22 ony lecie: fe heal Jods ch AES a Ces can ees 0 dy 2 12 
Width of side pieces .......... A SELL TCR SEL Wan Fer Sah garners 4 
Mhickness of side: pieces and ends /<4.a 23 es aan ee eee 1 
During the past season a much larger cradle-sieve has been con- 
structed, with an intermediate frame, covered with wire netting with 
Z-inch meshes. The upper sieve has flaring sides, 1 foot wide, but the 
ends are upright. 
THE TABLE-SIEVE. 
Figures 12, 13. 
This piece of apparatus is the result of several successive improve- 
ments. In fundamental principle, it is like the cradle-sieve, much en- 
larged and raised on legs; but the form is entirely different. The sieve 
foundation consists of a large, rectangular, wooden frame (C, Fig. 12), 
with wide side-pieces (made of inch boards) supported on stout legs, at a 
convenient height. The bottom of this frame consists of stout, galvan- 
ized-wire netting, with 4 or 3 inch meshes. Below this is a funnel- 
shaped, stout, canvas bag (S), which terminates in a large canvas tube (t). 
This serves to conduct the waste water to the seuppers. <A light frame 
of wood (B) is made to fit loosely inside of the main frame, and its under 
surface is covered with fine wire netting of ;4-inch meshes. This con- 
stitutes the real bottom of the sieve, the coarse netting below serving 
only as a support for it. It is fastened to a movable frame, so that it 
