all that I have seen from this pond for the last year, are smaller than 
those commonly met with., From the quantities yearly taken, how- 
ever, they must have increased considerably in number; and their 
flesh has lost nothing of its sweetness or flavor, as I have repeatedly 
had opportunities of testin 
This is the only experiment, so far as I am able to learn, which has 
been made to transport marine fishes to fresh water, in our country. 
It has proved that this species can bear the change, and that it will 
increase in numbers in its new locality. In many ponds in our state 
more favorably circumstanced, better supplied with food, this fish 
would undoubtedly retain its usual size. Ina highly interesting pa- 
per, entitled “ Hints on the possibility of changing the residence of 
certain Fishes from salt water to fresh—by J. MacCulloch, M.D. 
. R.S.,” we learn that this same species, the smelt, has been kept 
by Mr. Meyneil, of Yarm, Yorkshire, in a fresh water pond for four 
years, having no communication with the sea, and they grew well, 
and bred as freely as under other circumstances.* In the valuable 
communication of Dr. MacCulloch, just alluded to, several other spe- 
cies of fishes are mentioned as having been transported in a similar 
manner, and he observes that the Savor of every fish has been impro- 
ved by the change. ‘The sole becomes twice as thick as a fish of 
the same size from the sea. The plaice also increases materially in 
thickness : in some eases, it appeared three times as thick as in the 
sea. The barse also turns much thicker, and improves in delicacy. 
The mullet almost ceases to grow in length, but enlarges in breadth, 
and presents a much deeper layer of fat.”+ No one can give this 
elaborate paper, which I have merely referred to, a careful perusal, 
without being satisfied that our own ponds, many of them now utterly 
nasi, may be made rich repositories of numerous marine fishes. 
; ~ Several instances might be referred to of fresh water fishes being 
trans ported successfully, not merely to neighboring ponds, separated 
from each other by a few miles, but also from countries even in very 
different degrees of latitude. The Cyprinus carpio, common carp, 
originally from the central part of Europe, is now distributed through 
almost all its ponds, rivers and Jakes—and I have a stated 
to this Society, that a pond in Newburgh, N. Y. was stocked with 
English carp.t The Osphromenus olfar, a sales ret China, has 
ion introduced into the Isle of France, where it increases rapidly, 
and has been taken thence to Cayenne-§ The Cyprinus auratus, so 
* Quarterly Journal of Science, see and the Arts, Vol. 17, London, 1824, 
Also, Yarrell’s British Fishes Vol. ll, melas te 
t Quarterly Journ. Science, Lit. ond » Vol. 19. 
t Silliman’s Journal, Vol. 36, p. 342. § Gadi’ Cuvier, Vol. 10, p. 220. 
