142 American Fisheries Society 



of food and game fish by: (1) A study of the food 

 frowth spawning and habits of the different species of 

 ShlhSg various waters. (2) The determination 

 "ties'best adapted to certain classes of water b 

 an experimental study of typical waters. There are, 

 heref o're, two parts-first, the preliminary **™?™*> 

 consisting of an extensive biological survey of the wato 

 in regard to their general conditions to form a guide foi 

 future stocking, and a classification of these streams and 

 ponds into certain groups, according to the similarity of 

 the natural environment; secondly, an intensive study of 

 various typical waters, representing the groups above 

 mentioned, as regards the effects of the natural condi- 

 tions upon fish life. In such bodies of water records of 

 temperatures, amount of food (plankton) and general 

 changes which concern the problem of fish life should be 

 followed for a number of years. The work on these typi- 

 cal waters should serve as a basis for interpreting the 

 conditions in other waters of a similar nature. 



(1) Ponds. 

 The Massachusetts law provides only for stocking nat- 

 ural ponds over twenty acres in area, excluding all arti- 

 ficial ones. For this reason the survey was limited to the 

 natural ponds over twenty acres, in all about 800. Inese 

 ponds were examined in a rapid but comprehensive sur- 

 vey by representatives of the state commission This 

 work was carried on during three summer months for 

 two years by four biological students. The entire cost 

 was less than two thousand dollars, the greater part of 

 the expense arising from traveling, owing to the inacces- 

 sibility of many ponds. Each man examined approxi- 

 mately one hundred ponds in seventy-five days, an aver- 

 age of one and one-third ponds per day. The size and 

 importance of the body of water made considerable 

 difference in the amount of time devoted to the examina- 

 tion the small and less important receiving a rapid 

 survey At best the examination was hurried and super- 

 ficial, but it achieved the practical object of providing an 



