﻿XLVI 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  habits 
  of 
  tlie 
  smelt, 
  and 
  showing 
  some 
  of 
  his 
  experience 
  in 
  procuring 
  

   and 
  handling 
  the 
  eggs. 
  Mr. 
  Frederick 
  W. 
  True 
  read 
  a 
  paper 
  on 
  "The 
  

   porpoise 
  fishery 
  of 
  Cape 
  Hatteras," 
  in 
  which 
  he 
  stated 
  the 
  objects 
  to 
  

   be 
  pursued 
  by 
  a 
  company 
  recently 
  organized 
  in 
  Philadelphia 
  for 
  the 
  

   capture 
  of 
  porpoises 
  near 
  Cape 
  Hatteras, 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  utilize 
  these 
  dol- 
  

   phins 
  for 
  producing 
  oil, 
  leather, 
  and 
  food. 
  It 
  may 
  be 
  noted 
  that 
  a 
  con- 
  

   siderable 
  variety 
  of 
  opinions 
  was 
  expressed 
  in 
  the 
  society 
  regarding 
  

   porpoise 
  flesh 
  as 
  a 
  food 
  product, 
  some 
  holding 
  it 
  excellent 
  when 
  properly 
  

   smoked 
  and 
  others 
  maintaining 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  a 
  very 
  inferior 
  article 
  of 
  food. 
  

   Later 
  in 
  the 
  season 
  Mr. 
  True 
  ate 
  some 
  broiled 
  steak 
  cut 
  from 
  a 
  young 
  

   porpoise 
  brought 
  in 
  by 
  the 
  steamer 
  Albatross, 
  and 
  expressed 
  himself 
  

   as 
  very 
  favorably 
  impressed 
  by 
  the 
  edible 
  qualities 
  of 
  this 
  young 
  ceta- 
  

   cean. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  first 
  paper 
  read 
  on 
  the 
  morning 
  of 
  May 
  6 
  Mr. 
  Frank 
  N. 
  Clark 
  

   stated 
  the 
  " 
  Eesults 
  of 
  planting 
  whitefish 
  in 
  Lake 
  Erie," 
  and 
  showed 
  

   by 
  testimony 
  from 
  many 
  reliable 
  fishermen 
  and 
  fish-dealers 
  that 
  while 
  

   the 
  aggregate 
  catch 
  is 
  steadily 
  increasing, 
  so 
  also 
  are 
  the 
  whitefish 
  on 
  

   the 
  increase 
  in 
  Lake 
  Erie, 
  and 
  that 
  this 
  increase 
  is 
  due 
  solely 
  to 
  the 
  

   work 
  of 
  the 
  hatcheries. 
  The 
  next 
  paper 
  was 
  by 
  Mr. 
  J. 
  S. 
  Van 
  Cleef, 
  

   on 
  "How 
  to 
  restore 
  our 
  trout 
  streams," 
  in 
  which 
  he 
  showed 
  that 
  the 
  

   destruction 
  of 
  the 
  trees 
  bordering 
  on 
  the 
  streams 
  and 
  the 
  changed 
  

   condition 
  of 
  the 
  banks 
  produced 
  thereby 
  has 
  resulted 
  in 
  depriving 
  the 
  

   trout 
  of 
  their 
  natural 
  hiding-places, 
  and 
  that 
  this 
  is 
  the 
  main 
  cause 
  of 
  

   their 
  depletion, 
  in 
  connection 
  with 
  excessive 
  fishing 
  with 
  nets 
  and 
  hooks 
  

   and 
  lines. 
  Mr. 
  A. 
  N. 
  Cheney 
  next 
  discussed 
  the 
  question 
  "Does 
  trans- 
  

   planting 
  affect 
  the 
  food 
  or 
  game 
  qualities 
  of 
  certain 
  fishes?" 
  stating 
  

   his 
  opinion 
  that 
  fish 
  in 
  alien 
  waters 
  improve 
  in 
  food 
  and 
  game 
  qualities 
  

   only 
  when 
  they 
  find 
  better 
  food 
  or 
  water, 
  which 
  causes 
  a 
  more 
  vigorous 
  

   condition. 
  Then 
  followed 
  a 
  paper 
  by 
  Mr. 
  John 
  A. 
  Kyder 
  " 
  On 
  some 
  of 
  

   the 
  protective 
  contrivances 
  developed 
  by 
  and 
  in 
  connection 
  with 
  the 
  

   ova 
  of 
  various 
  species 
  of 
  fishes," 
  giving 
  some 
  matter 
  of 
  considerable 
  

   biologic 
  value. 
  Prof. 
  Otis 
  T. 
  Mason 
  next 
  read 
  a 
  short 
  paper 
  on 
  "The 
  

   use 
  of 
  the 
  throwing-stick 
  by 
  the 
  Esquimaux," 
  several 
  specimens 
  being 
  

   shown, 
  their 
  use 
  described, 
  and 
  the 
  statement 
  made 
  that 
  this 
  implement 
  

   is 
  in 
  use 
  only 
  in 
  Australia, 
  South 
  America, 
  and 
  among 
  the 
  Esquimaux 
  

   of 
  North 
  America. 
  This 
  was 
  followed 
  by 
  a 
  valuable 
  contribution 
  from 
  

   Prof. 
  Theodore 
  Gill, 
  entitled 
  "The 
  chief 
  characteristics 
  of 
  the 
  North 
  

   American 
  fish 
  fauna." 
  In 
  this 
  he 
  considered 
  only 
  the 
  fresh- 
  water 
  forms 
  

   of 
  America 
  north 
  of 
  Mexico, 
  stating 
  that 
  they 
  numbered 
  over 
  six 
  hun- 
  

   dred 
  species, 
  representing 
  nearly 
  one 
  hundred 
  and 
  fifty 
  genera 
  and 
  

   about 
  thirty-four 
  families; 
  and 
  he 
  concluded 
  that 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  genera 
  

   and 
  types 
  common 
  to 
  Europe 
  and 
  North 
  America 
  is 
  comparatively 
  

   small, 
  while 
  the 
  special 
  peculiarities 
  of 
  the 
  North 
  American 
  fishes 
  are 
  

   sufficient 
  to 
  entitle 
  this 
  region 
  to 
  be 
  considered 
  as 
  a 
  primary 
  geo- 
  

   graphical 
  division 
  of 
  the 
  globe. 
  

  

  The 
  next 
  paper 
  in 
  order 
  was 
  on 
  "Some 
  objective 
  points 
  in 
  fish- 
  

   «ulture," 
  by 
  Col. 
  M. 
  McDonald. 
  This 
  discussed 
  what 
  yet 
  remains 
  to 
  

  

  