﻿EEPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  XXXVII 
  

  

  The 
  Marquis 
  of 
  Exeter, 
  who 
  is 
  president 
  of 
  the 
  National 
  Fish 
  Cult- 
  

   ure 
  Association, 
  had 
  interested 
  himself 
  in 
  the 
  success 
  of 
  this 
  ship- 
  

   ment, 
  and 
  had 
  kindly 
  placed 
  at 
  the 
  command 
  of 
  the 
  National 
  Fish 
  

   Culture 
  Association 
  his 
  private 
  fish 
  culturist, 
  Mr. 
  Silk, 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  in- 
  

   sure 
  the 
  best 
  possible 
  results. 
  

  

  In 
  his 
  letter 
  of 
  September 
  25 
  Mr. 
  W. 
  Oldham 
  Chambers, 
  secretary 
  

   of 
  tbe 
  National 
  Fish 
  Culture 
  Association, 
  said 
  that 
  complete 
  arrange- 
  

   ments 
  had 
  been 
  made 
  by 
  him 
  for 
  catching 
  soles 
  on 
  the 
  Essex 
  coast. 
  

   T 
  bey 
  were 
  deported 
  from 
  the 
  boat 
  at 
  Harwich 
  to 
  Liverpool 
  by 
  special 
  

   van 
  in 
  charge, 
  of 
  a 
  qualified 
  attendant, 
  who, 
  on 
  arriving 
  at 
  Liverpool, 
  

   handed 
  the 
  fish 
  over 
  to 
  Mr. 
  Silk 
  in 
  perfect 
  condition. 
  Mr. 
  Chambers 
  

   further 
  says 
  : 
  " 
  I 
  fear 
  their 
  loss 
  was 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  Mr. 
  Silk 
  placed 
  

   the 
  fish 
  in 
  the 
  public 
  baths 
  at 
  Liverpool, 
  which 
  is 
  not 
  only 
  brackish, 
  but 
  

   fall 
  of 
  impurities, 
  naturally 
  fatal 
  to 
  deep-sea 
  fishes- 
  like 
  soles. 
  My 
  

   council 
  desire 
  me 
  to 
  express 
  their 
  deep 
  regret 
  at 
  the 
  ill-fortune 
  attend- 
  

   ing 
  their 
  endeavors 
  to 
  further 
  the 
  acclimatization 
  of 
  flat-fish 
  in 
  the 
  

   United 
  States, 
  but 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  time 
  wish 
  me 
  to 
  assure 
  you 
  that 
  they 
  

   will 
  take 
  an 
  early 
  opportunity 
  of 
  renewing 
  the 
  experiment 
  notwith- 
  

   standing 
  the 
  recent 
  failure, 
  caused 
  more 
  from 
  wrong 
  treatment 
  than 
  

   from 
  inherent 
  incapaci 
  ty 
  on 
  the 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  fish 
  to 
  withstand 
  the 
  strain 
  

   of 
  transportation." 
  

  

  On 
  October 
  8 
  Mr. 
  Thomas 
  J. 
  Moore, 
  curator 
  of 
  Liverpool 
  Museum, 
  

   with 
  the 
  aid 
  of 
  Mr. 
  W. 
  A. 
  Duncan, 
  forwarded 
  to 
  Mr. 
  E. 
  G. 
  Blackford 
  

   12 
  soles 
  by 
  the 
  steamer 
  Britannic, 
  Capt. 
  Hamilton 
  Perry, 
  of 
  the 
  White 
  

   Star 
  Line. 
  These 
  were 
  received 
  October 
  19 
  and 
  presented 
  to 
  the 
  Fish 
  

   Commission. 
  The 
  9 
  soles 
  which 
  reached 
  New 
  York 
  alive 
  were 
  immedi- 
  

   ately 
  sent 
  to 
  Cold 
  Spring 
  Harbor 
  to 
  be 
  cared 
  for 
  until 
  arrangements 
  

   could 
  be 
  made 
  to 
  transport 
  them 
  to 
  Wood's 
  Holl 
  in 
  safety. 
  From 
  the 
  

   time 
  of 
  arrival 
  at 
  Cold 
  Spring 
  Harbor, 
  October 
  20, 
  Mr. 
  Mather 
  made 
  

   observations 
  upon 
  their 
  habits, 
  and 
  reported 
  them 
  doing 
  well 
  until 
  De- 
  

   cember 
  30, 
  when 
  the 
  soles, 
  together 
  with 
  a 
  large 
  installment 
  of 
  cod 
  

   eggs, 
  were 
  frozen 
  to 
  death 
  during 
  a 
  violent 
  storm. 
  An 
  important 
  feat- 
  

   ure 
  of 
  Mr. 
  Moore's 
  method 
  was 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  six 
  Mortimer 
  ship 
  aquaria 
  

   containing 
  2 
  soles 
  each. 
  The 
  bottom 
  of 
  the 
  glass 
  globes 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  

   fish 
  were 
  placed 
  was 
  covered 
  with 
  an 
  inch 
  or 
  two 
  of 
  sand. 
  The 
  soles 
  

   buried 
  themselves 
  therein 
  and 
  no 
  chafing 
  resulted. 
  This 
  shelter 
  imi- 
  

   tates 
  quite 
  well 
  their 
  native, 
  habitat. 
  

  

  On 
  October 
  24 
  an 
  installment 
  of 
  500 
  soles 
  was 
  sent 
  from 
  Liverpool, 
  

   by 
  the 
  Cunard 
  steamer 
  Gallia, 
  in 
  charge 
  of 
  Mr. 
  William 
  Little, 
  of 
  32 
  

   Seratton 
  Load, 
  Southend, 
  Essex 
  County, 
  England. 
  These 
  soles 
  were 
  

   taken 
  off 
  Norwich 
  and 
  transmitted 
  by 
  rail 
  to 
  Liverpool, 
  where 
  Mr. 
  W. 
  

   Oldham 
  Chambers, 
  secretary 
  of 
  the 
  National 
  Fish 
  Culture 
  Association, 
  

   made 
  arrangements 
  for 
  their 
  reception 
  and 
  transshipment. 
  The 
  steamer 
  

   arrived 
  at 
  her 
  dock 
  in 
  New 
  York 
  on 
  the 
  morning 
  of 
  November 
  3. 
  Mr. 
  

   Blackford 
  and 
  Mr. 
  Mather 
  were 
  there 
  with 
  a 
  tug 
  and 
  suitable 
  cans 
  to 
  

   receive 
  them, 
  but 
  were 
  greatly 
  disappointed 
  to 
  find 
  that 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  

  

  