﻿[7] 
  OPERATIONS 
  AT 
  THE 
  M'CLOUD 
  EIVER 
  STATION. 
  137 
  

  

  olds 
  are 
  perfectly 
  healthy. 
  I 
  sometimes 
  think 
  they 
  were 
  poisoned 
  by 
  

   some 
  one, 
  yet 
  I 
  have 
  no 
  idea 
  who 
  could 
  have 
  done 
  such 
  a 
  thing." 
  

  

  "September 
  23, 
  1885. 
  — 
  Since 
  I 
  last 
  wrote, 
  there 
  has 
  been 
  no 
  great 
  loss 
  of 
  

   life. 
  I 
  got 
  up 
  very 
  early 
  one 
  morning, 
  I 
  think 
  the 
  next 
  after 
  I 
  wrote 
  you, 
  

   and 
  went 
  to 
  the 
  ponds, 
  and 
  there 
  were 
  several 
  in 
  each 
  pond 
  lying 
  on 
  

   their 
  sides, 
  but 
  they 
  were 
  not 
  dead. 
  I 
  got 
  them 
  all 
  up, 
  and 
  then 
  cut 
  some 
  

   fresh 
  venison 
  up 
  fine 
  and 
  soaked 
  it 
  in 
  lard 
  and 
  fed 
  it 
  to 
  the 
  fish 
  that 
  would 
  

   eat, 
  and 
  since 
  that 
  they 
  seem 
  to 
  have 
  brightened 
  up 
  wonderfully, 
  and 
  

   I 
  think 
  now 
  the 
  danger 
  is 
  mostly 
  passed. 
  The 
  only 
  cause 
  that 
  I 
  could 
  

   find 
  for 
  their 
  dying 
  was 
  in 
  their 
  stomach. 
  There 
  was 
  not 
  a 
  single 
  spot 
  

   on 
  any 
  of 
  them; 
  eyes 
  were 
  bright 
  and 
  gills 
  perfectly 
  natural, 
  and 
  they 
  

   were 
  all 
  fat 
  fish, 
  but 
  their 
  stomachs 
  seemed 
  hard 
  and 
  drawn 
  up. 
  The 
  

   fish 
  that 
  died 
  I 
  think 
  suffered 
  but 
  little. 
  They 
  would 
  be 
  taken 
  sud- 
  

   denly, 
  and 
  perhaps 
  for 
  one 
  day 
  would 
  lie 
  on 
  the 
  bottom 
  very 
  still, 
  but 
  

   right 
  side 
  up, 
  then 
  the 
  next 
  day 
  they 
  would 
  lie 
  on 
  their 
  sides, 
  but 
  

   breathe 
  rather 
  more 
  quickly 
  than 
  was 
  natural. 
  If 
  disturbed, 
  they 
  would 
  

   swim 
  a 
  short 
  distance 
  as 
  though 
  all 
  right, 
  only 
  some 
  of 
  them 
  seemed 
  

   cramped, 
  and 
  their 
  heads 
  were 
  crooked 
  to 
  one 
  side. 
  They 
  would 
  re- 
  

   main 
  in 
  this 
  state 
  sometimes 
  three 
  or 
  four 
  days, 
  and 
  then 
  die. 
  Our 
  

   water 
  supply 
  seems 
  a 
  little 
  on 
  the 
  rise 
  now, 
  and 
  the 
  remaining 
  fish 
  look 
  

   splendidly, 
  and 
  I 
  think 
  now 
  with 
  good 
  care 
  we 
  shall 
  bring 
  the 
  rest 
  through. 
  

   Our 
  young 
  fish 
  are 
  in 
  good 
  condition 
  and 
  we 
  have 
  just 
  added 
  a 
  nice 
  

   lot— 
  75 
  yearlings 
  and 
  two-year-olds 
  — 
  to 
  our 
  ponds. 
  Fish 
  in 
  the 
  river 
  

   are 
  very 
  scarce 
  ; 
  we 
  have 
  been 
  fishing 
  now 
  some 
  time, 
  but 
  have 
  only 
  

   succeeded 
  in 
  capturing 
  small 
  fish. 
  The 
  water 
  in 
  the 
  river 
  has 
  been 
  very 
  

   muddy 
  all 
  summer 
  and 
  is 
  still 
  so. 
  We 
  have 
  had 
  a 
  loss 
  of 
  large 
  fish 
  this 
  

   time 
  that 
  it 
  will 
  take 
  some 
  time 
  to 
  replace, 
  yet, 
  if 
  no 
  more 
  die 
  now, 
  we 
  

   can 
  get 
  along." 
  

  

  " 
  November 
  14, 
  1885. 
  — 
  I 
  have 
  thought 
  all 
  along 
  that 
  as 
  soon 
  as 
  the 
  

   rains 
  began 
  there 
  would 
  be 
  a 
  change 
  in 
  the 
  mortality 
  of 
  the 
  trout; 
  but 
  

   it 
  seems 
  not. 
  There 
  are 
  six 
  in 
  one 
  pond 
  this 
  morning 
  that 
  refuse 
  food 
  

   and 
  have 
  turned 
  the 
  dark 
  color, 
  and 
  are 
  resting 
  on 
  the 
  ground. 
  We 
  

   have 
  been 
  at 
  work 
  very 
  hard, 
  catching 
  trout, 
  and 
  adding 
  to 
  our 
  ponds 
  

   from 
  the 
  river; 
  but 
  it 
  seems 
  of 
  little 
  use, 
  as 
  the 
  ones 
  caught 
  from 
  the 
  

   river 
  die 
  very 
  fast. 
  Some 
  of 
  the 
  smaller 
  fish 
  have 
  died 
  lately. 
  Pro- 
  

   fessor 
  Baird 
  has 
  written 
  that 
  he 
  has 
  asked 
  Prof. 
  S. 
  A. 
  Forbes, 
  of 
  

   Champaign, 
  111., 
  to 
  forward 
  me 
  a 
  preserving 
  fluid, 
  and 
  wished 
  me 
  to 
  

   send 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  diseased 
  specimens 
  direct 
  to 
  him. 
  Professor 
  Baird 
  

   says 
  that 
  Professor 
  Forbes 
  is 
  preparing 
  a 
  general 
  report 
  for 
  the 
  Com- 
  

   mission 
  upon 
  the 
  subject 
  of 
  the 
  diseases 
  of 
  fish. 
  He 
  also 
  says 
  that 
  

   the 
  fish 
  of 
  Wisconsin 
  have 
  died 
  iu 
  great 
  numbers, 
  and 
  that 
  Professor 
  

   Forbes 
  had 
  traced 
  the 
  disease 
  to 
  the 
  immense 
  development 
  of 
  bacteria, 
  

   called 
  micrococci, 
  congesting 
  the 
  liver 
  and 
  spleen 
  of 
  the 
  fish." 
  

  

  At 
  present 
  the 
  prospect 
  is 
  rather 
  discouraging 
  for 
  a 
  good 
  yield 
  of 
  

   trout 
  eggs 
  during 
  the 
  season 
  of 
  1885-'SG; 
  but 
  a 
  considerable 
  number 
  of 
  

   young 
  fish 
  are 
  coming 
  on, 
  and 
  perhaps 
  next 
  year's 
  harvest 
  may 
  make 
  

   up 
  for 
  the 
  deficiencies 
  of 
  this 
  season. 
  

  

  