Internal Fisheries. 13 



left tliem with the assurance that all would be well. In ten 

 hours all but three fish were dead. This misfortune was laid 

 to an insufficient supply of water, but as the flow w^as regu- 

 lated by Mr. Newman's assistant, the matter was thought by 

 the commissioner present, to be in good hands. 



Nothing remained but to try again, and one of the com- 

 missioners went personally to West Winsted, and there pro- 

 cured three hundred fish, at fifty cents, the regular price, not 

 delivered. These were brought down with great care, and 

 at once distributed in the following localities, not a single 

 fish being lost in the transit : 



Steere, Hope and Poneganset Co. ponds, in Scituate ; 

 Poneganset reservoir, in Gloster ; Searl's and Spear's ponds, 

 in Foster ; Scott's pond, and the new reservoir, in Lonsdale ; 

 Warwick pond, and Gorton pond, in Warwick. 



Mr. Newman was requested to make a discount on the first 

 lot, but he refused to do so, and the bill was paid as strict 

 equity demanded, as his risk expired after the delivery of the 

 fish at East Greenwich, but in view of the facts, the com- 

 missioners look upon the transaction as a piece of sharp 

 practice, on Mr. Newman's part, and shall select some other 

 medium for obtaining their future supplies. 



In order to make sure that there was nothing deleterious 

 in the water in which these fish died, eight fish, (black bass) 

 were placed in the spring, three feet by four in area, and 

 they kept in perfect health four months, and were then trans- 

 fered to Gorton pond. 



An effort has been made to ascertain if black bass will 

 take the hook in winter, when fishing through the ice for 

 pickerel is in order. We have reliable information that one 

 bass was so taken, but we are well satisfied that where one 

 bass can, a hundred pickerel will be, and as the law now 

 stands, the pickerel are just as much protected as the bass. 

 We therelore recommend that the law relating to stocked 



