﻿REPOET 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  XCV 
  

  

  On 
  November 
  4 
  the 
  water 
  was 
  drawn 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  pond 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  catch 
  

   the 
  carp 
  for 
  distribution. 
  The 
  shad 
  found 
  in 
  tbe 
  pond 
  were 
  from 
  5 
  to 
  

   7 
  inches 
  long 
  and 
  from 
  1 
  to 
  1£ 
  inches 
  broad 
  through 
  the 
  body. 
  It 
  is 
  

   well 
  known 
  that 
  the 
  shad 
  is 
  a 
  very 
  tender 
  fish 
  j 
  and 
  as 
  the 
  water 
  be- 
  

   came 
  lower 
  and 
  lower 
  many 
  of 
  them 
  died 
  in 
  the 
  shallow 
  water. 
  Dr. 
  

   Hessel 
  counted 
  over 
  a 
  thousand 
  that 
  died 
  in 
  this 
  way, 
  though 
  they 
  

   had 
  plenty 
  of 
  water 
  in 
  which 
  to 
  swim. 
  

  

  He 
  made 
  several 
  attempts 
  to 
  keep 
  a 
  few 
  hundred 
  of 
  the 
  shad 
  alive, 
  

   but 
  without 
  much 
  success, 
  as 
  nearly 
  all 
  died 
  after 
  being 
  transferred 
  

   from 
  the 
  pond 
  to 
  the 
  tub 
  or 
  tank. 
  The 
  whole 
  number 
  of 
  shad 
  was 
  about 
  

   7,850, 
  of 
  which 
  about 
  7,500 
  were 
  seut 
  to 
  the 
  Smithsonian 
  Institution, 
  

   and 
  200 
  of 
  the 
  rest 
  died 
  within 
  two 
  days 
  in 
  a 
  tank 
  with 
  running 
  water. 
  

   Fifty 
  of 
  the 
  living 
  fry 
  were 
  put 
  in 
  the 
  east 
  pond, 
  where 
  there 
  were 
  no 
  

   other 
  fish. 
  On 
  December 
  10, 
  1885, 
  there 
  were 
  still 
  about 
  40 
  alive 
  on 
  the 
  

   island, 
  in 
  a 
  tank 
  with 
  running 
  water. 
  Efforts 
  to 
  keep 
  them 
  alive 
  by 
  

   feeding 
  them 
  were 
  made, 
  but 
  without 
  expectation 
  of 
  success, 
  as 
  they 
  

   want 
  living 
  food, 
  such 
  as 
  small 
  crustaceans, 
  &c, 
  which 
  can 
  scarcely 
  be 
  

   found 
  in 
  the 
  water 
  during 
  the 
  cold 
  season. 
  

  

  In 
  addition 
  to 
  the 
  shad 
  and 
  carp 
  in 
  the 
  pond, 
  there 
  were 
  also 
  some 
  

   herring, 
  and 
  winter 
  shad, 
  and 
  about 
  3,000 
  young 
  sunfish 
  and 
  10 
  large 
  

   ones. 
  The 
  herring 
  and 
  winter 
  shad 
  came 
  in 
  as 
  spawn 
  or 
  young 
  fry 
  

   through 
  the 
  fine-wire 
  screen 
  when 
  the 
  supply 
  of 
  water 
  was 
  coming 
  in 
  

   from 
  the 
  Potomac 
  on 
  April 
  25. 
  The 
  young 
  sunfish, 
  which 
  were 
  from 
  

   half 
  an 
  inch 
  to 
  3 
  inches 
  long, 
  were 
  the 
  fry 
  of 
  the 
  large 
  ones, 
  which 
  

   were 
  about 
  5£ 
  inches 
  long 
  and 
  3£ 
  inches 
  high 
  from 
  dorsal 
  to 
  ventral 
  

   fins. 
  The 
  large 
  sunfish 
  were 
  probably 
  thrown 
  in 
  by 
  boys 
  who 
  had 
  

   caught 
  them 
  from 
  the 
  river, 
  as 
  it 
  does 
  not 
  seem 
  likely 
  that 
  they 
  could 
  

   have 
  come 
  through 
  the 
  screen 
  on 
  April 
  25, 
  and 
  the 
  pond 
  had 
  lain 
  en- 
  

   tirely 
  dry 
  during 
  the 
  six 
  weeks 
  before 
  this. 
  

  

  On 
  December 
  11 
  Mr. 
  Barton 
  A. 
  Bean, 
  speaking 
  of 
  the 
  table 
  qualities 
  

   of 
  these 
  fish, 
  said: 
  "I 
  have 
  tested 
  the 
  edible 
  qualities 
  of 
  the 
  young 
  shad 
  

   and 
  have 
  found 
  them 
  palatable 
  and 
  appetizing, 
  I 
  would 
  say 
  similar 
  to 
  

   the 
  whitebait, 
  but 
  not 
  equal 
  to 
  the 
  anchovy. 
  Quite 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  the 
  

   National 
  Museum 
  employees 
  tried 
  these 
  fish, 
  and 
  all 
  speak 
  very 
  highly 
  

   of 
  them." 
  

  

  o. 
  The 
  River 
  Herring 
  ( 
  Clupea 
  

  

  Battery 
  Station. 
  — 
  During 
  tbe 
  season, 
  167,125 
  herring 
  were 
  taken 
  in 
  

   the 
  seine 
  at 
  this 
  statiou 
  in 
  connection 
  with, 
  the 
  shad 
  work. 
  Some 
  of 
  

   these 
  were 
  confined 
  in 
  the 
  pool 
  with 
  the 
  shad. 
  Attempts 
  were 
  made 
  

   to 
  hatch 
  the 
  eggs 
  of 
  the 
  herring, 
  but 
  the 
  apparatus 
  apparently 
  was 
  not 
  

   adapted 
  for 
  the 
  work 
  and 
  but 
  little 
  success 
  was 
  attained. 
  By 
  careful 
  

   management, 
  however, 
  about 
  200,000 
  fry 
  were 
  produced 
  and 
  planted 
  

   in 
  the 
  waters 
  near 
  the 
  station. 
  

  

  Central 
  Station. 
  — 
  In 
  addition 
  to 
  the 
  principal 
  work 
  of 
  the 
  station, 
  

   considerable 
  attention 
  was 
  given 
  to 
  devising 
  a 
  successful 
  method 
  for 
  

   hatching 
  the 
  adhesive 
  eggs 
  of 
  the 
  herring. 
  Several 
  forms 
  of 
  apparatus 
  

  

  