l6 AMERICAN FISHERIES SOCIETY 



Mr. Goode— Mr. President, 1 should like to say a word or two 

 on this question of hibernation. It seems to me that hibernation 

 is by no means a voluntary act, as might possibly be inferred 

 from some things which Dr. Henshall has said. It is purely a 

 matter of physicial cause and effect, and the question whether 

 the black bass will hibernate in a given latitude depends on the 

 depth of water and the presence of warm spots at great depths in 

 that particular body of water. Every fish has, I think, a certain 

 limit to its powers of activity, a certain limit which varies with 

 different species according to a scale of temperature. Many of 

 the southern fishes which come to our northern coast in summer, 

 are in the fall seen in the cold tidal bays partially torpid. In 

 such a state they cannot feed. It is the torpidity which prevents 

 their feeding rather than the lack of food; and it seems to me 

 that in almost every case the fish has no power to escape from 

 that degree of cold which produces torpidity. From reliable 

 testimony I learn that black bass are taken under the ice in some 

 of the northern lakes, and have no doubt, that in other lakes not 

 so deep, the fish become torpid before the ice forms on account 

 of the shallowness of the water. I think, therefore, that Dr. 

 Henshall's theory is somewhat exaggerated. He may have 

 heard of fish feeding during the period of hibernation. I am 

 not, however, inclined to believe that they ever do this. I cer- 

 tainly very much question the possibility of carp feeding during 

 the period of hibernation. It is generally known that they are 

 then buried in the mud at the bottom of the water. This is a 

 very interesting question, and one whose solution involves a 

 great deal of experimenting. I should, however, hardly like to 

 see the question settled upon hypothetical grounds before such 

 experiments are made. 



Mr. Mather — This question of the hibernation of fishes is 

 one concerning which I have no special knowledge. I have, 

 however, paid some little attention to it, having been recently 

 engaged in endeavoring to learn the geographical range in 

 which the black bass hibernates. As touching the question of 

 temperature and food, I know that on our New York coast, in 

 Long Island Sound, there are some fishes which are active all 



