380 rs Miscellanies. 
generally known as the gold fish, the native of a lake in China, in 
about the 30th degree of latitude, has been introduced and natural- 
ized in the Mauritius by the French, where they now abound in the 
fish ponds and streams; they are completely naturalized, and are 
found in large numbers in many of the streams of Portugal, whence 
they are carried to England by trading vessels from Lisbon, St. Ubes, 
&c. in large earthern jars.* It breeds freely in small ponds and even 
in tanks in England.t Numerous ponds in Massachusetts abound 
with them, notwithstanding the severity of our winters.t{ . 
The only instance with which I am acquainted of a fresh water 
species being removed from one sheet of water to another in this 
country, is that of the Perca flavescens, yellow perch; and for this 
successful attempt we are indebted to the zeal and perseverance of 
the late Dr. Mitchill, of New York, whose paper on the Fishes of 
New York, published in the Transactions of the Literary and Philo- 
sophical Society of New York,{ is of great value to the American ich- 
thyologist. He first published an account of his transporting the 
perch in the “ Medical Repository,”’| and afterward referred to it in 
his paper just spoken of. From the original statement I extract the 
following remarks: “In 1790, Uriah Mitchill, Esq., high sheriff of 
Queen’s county, and myself went to Rockonkoma pond, in Suffolk 
county, a distance of about forty miles, ina waggon. The object of 
our journey was to transport alive some of the yellow perch with 
which this body of water abounds, to Success pond, in the town of 
North Hempstead. We took about three dozen of those which had 
been wounded most superficially by the hook, and were so fortunate 
as to dismiss all of them but two into Success pond, in a condition 
vigorous enough toswim away. We were enabled to do this by fill- 
ing a very large churn with the water of Rockonkoma pond, and put- 
ting so few fishes into it that there was no necessity of changing it 
- onthe road, and afterwards driving steadily on a walk the whole dis- 
tance, without stopping to refresh either man or horse. In two years 
these fishes multiplied so fast, and became so numerous, that they 
might be caught with the hook in any part of the water, which is 
about a mile in circumference.” 
I was unwilling the present opportunity should pass, without offer- 
ing the Society some few facts to show the importance of the sub- 
ject,—and would now close these hurried observations with the hope 
that we shall ere long be able to adduce successful experiments within 
the territory of Massachusetts. 
= ow British Fishes, Vol. 1, p. 316. 7 +0. 
on the Fishes of Masrachusetts; p- 82. 
Volpe | Vol. 3, p. 422. 
