﻿[5] 
  OPERATIONS 
  AT 
  THE 
  m'CLOUD 
  RIVER 
  STATION. 
  135 
  

  

  streams 
  being 
  very 
  low; 
  but 
  it 
  did 
  not 
  pass 
  away, 
  and 
  on 
  October 
  o 
  

   Mr. 
  Green 
  wrote 
  me 
  that 
  the 
  trout 
  were 
  continuing 
  to 
  die 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  

   disease 
  was 
  as 
  destructive 
  in 
  the 
  river 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  ponds. 
  Some 
  of 
  the 
  

   features 
  of 
  this 
  singular 
  mortality 
  among 
  the 
  fish 
  are 
  presented 
  in 
  the 
  

   following 
  letters 
  from 
  Mr. 
  Green 
  : 
  

  

  " 
  I 
  have 
  some 
  five 
  or 
  six 
  large 
  trout 
  now 
  in 
  a 
  pond 
  by 
  themselves, 
  

   which 
  have 
  showed 
  no 
  signs 
  of 
  life, 
  save 
  their 
  breathing, 
  for 
  the 
  

   past 
  five 
  days. 
  They 
  lie 
  perfectly 
  still 
  on 
  their 
  sides, 
  and 
  when 
  dis- 
  

   turbed 
  or 
  taken 
  from 
  the 
  water 
  they 
  seem 
  to 
  shake 
  or 
  quiver, 
  and 
  

   will 
  splash 
  around 
  quite 
  lively 
  for 
  a 
  moment, 
  then 
  lie 
  back 
  on 
  the 
  bot- 
  

   tom 
  ami 
  remain 
  perfectly 
  still 
  for 
  days; 
  and 
  while 
  keeping 
  so 
  quiet, 
  

   sediment 
  from 
  the 
  water 
  gathers 
  in 
  their 
  gills. 
  They 
  sometimes 
  linger 
  

   for 
  six 
  or 
  eight 
  days, 
  just 
  in 
  this 
  way. 
  It 
  is 
  my 
  opinion 
  that 
  the 
  dis- 
  

   ease 
  was 
  brought 
  to 
  our 
  ponds 
  by 
  the 
  fish 
  caught 
  in 
  the 
  river. 
  Our 
  fish 
  

   were 
  all 
  perfectly 
  healthy 
  until 
  we 
  commenced 
  fishing 
  this 
  fall 
  ; 
  we 
  lost 
  

   but 
  very 
  few 
  fish 
  during 
  the 
  summer, 
  and 
  they 
  were 
  all 
  fat 
  and 
  nice. 
  

   The 
  first 
  I 
  noticed 
  were 
  those 
  dying 
  in 
  the 
  river, 
  and 
  I 
  also 
  noticed 
  that 
  

   some 
  of 
  the 
  fish 
  that 
  died 
  first 
  in 
  our 
  ponds 
  were 
  those 
  lately 
  put 
  in. 
  I 
  

   have 
  examined 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  those 
  dying 
  in 
  the 
  river, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  those 
  

   from 
  the 
  ponds, 
  and 
  all 
  that 
  I 
  can 
  find 
  is 
  that 
  the 
  stomachs 
  seem 
  hard 
  

   and 
  drawn 
  up, 
  and 
  that 
  in 
  some 
  of 
  them 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  yellowish 
  fluid 
  around 
  

   the 
  heart. 
  The 
  first 
  symptom 
  of 
  the 
  fish, 
  before 
  taken, 
  is 
  that 
  it 
  turns 
  

   a 
  very 
  dark 
  color. 
  I 
  can 
  now 
  tell 
  some 
  three 
  or 
  four 
  days 
  in 
  advance 
  

   those 
  that 
  are 
  going 
  to 
  be 
  taken 
  with 
  it, 
  for 
  they 
  turn 
  so 
  dark. 
  The 
  fish 
  

   seem 
  in 
  no 
  pain 
  ; 
  only 
  seem 
  stupid. 
  I 
  have 
  seen 
  hundreds 
  of 
  trout 
  die 
  

   from 
  old 
  age 
  or 
  from 
  fungus, 
  bruises, 
  or 
  something 
  of 
  that 
  kind, 
  but 
  I 
  

   never 
  saw 
  a 
  trout 
  sick 
  before 
  that 
  would 
  lie 
  on 
  the 
  bottom. 
  They 
  al- 
  

   most 
  invariably 
  keep 
  near 
  the 
  top 
  and 
  keep 
  falling 
  back 
  against 
  the 
  

   back 
  screen 
  ; 
  but 
  not 
  so 
  with 
  these 
  ; 
  they 
  are 
  strong 
  until 
  they 
  die. 
  I 
  

   wish 
  I 
  could 
  send 
  you 
  one 
  for 
  examination. 
  I 
  think 
  hereafter 
  I 
  shall 
  

   never 
  mix 
  again 
  the 
  trout 
  caught 
  in 
  the 
  river 
  with 
  those 
  wintered 
  in 
  

   our 
  ponds, 
  for 
  it 
  is 
  almost 
  certain 
  to 
  me 
  that 
  the 
  disease 
  is 
  one 
  that 
  is 
  

   catching, 
  and 
  was 
  brought 
  from 
  the 
  river. 
  What 
  seems 
  more 
  sure 
  than 
  

   anything 
  else 
  is 
  that 
  I 
  have 
  one 
  pond 
  containing 
  nothing 
  but 
  large 
  fe- 
  

   males. 
  It 
  is 
  the 
  new 
  pond, 
  or 
  last 
  one 
  made. 
  Water 
  runs 
  in 
  it 
  directly 
  

   from 
  the 
  flume 
  before 
  running 
  over 
  any 
  other 
  fish. 
  I 
  wished 
  to 
  keep 
  

   the 
  females 
  separate, 
  and 
  for 
  this 
  reason 
  have 
  put 
  no 
  other 
  fish 
  in 
  this 
  

   pond 
  at 
  all, 
  and 
  strange 
  to 
  say, 
  the 
  fish 
  in 
  this 
  pond 
  have 
  not 
  been 
  

   troubled. 
  

  

  " 
  Our 
  small 
  fish 
  have 
  also 
  suffered 
  but 
  little. 
  However, 
  the 
  loss 
  has 
  

   been 
  very 
  heavy, 
  and 
  unless 
  we 
  have 
  unusually 
  good 
  luck 
  with 
  our 
  

   traps 
  I 
  am 
  afraid 
  we 
  must 
  fall 
  short 
  somewhat 
  of 
  our 
  usual 
  amount 
  of 
  

   eggs. 
  

  

  " 
  We 
  are 
  fishing 
  now 
  every 
  day 
  and 
  having 
  fair 
  luck, 
  and, 
  had 
  we 
  not 
  

   had 
  this 
  loss, 
  would 
  have 
  taken 
  a 
  splendid 
  lot 
  of 
  eggs. 
  The 
  water 
  in 
  

   the 
  river 
  is 
  much 
  lower 
  than 
  I 
  have 
  ever 
  known 
  before, 
  and 
  the 
  snow 
  

  

  