XLVIII EEPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



retained, and from the observations made the disease appeared to be of 

 a cancerous nature, the fins, especially the dorsal, being the first point 

 attacked. A somewhat similar ailment of the fins has often occurred in 

 the past, but nothing ever approaching the severity of the disease this 

 year. In many instances its course continued until the fles'h of the 

 trunk of the fish was entirely destroyed, laying bare the bony structure 

 attached to several of the vertebnB entirely anterior to the caudal fin. 

 It may be mentioned here that during the summer of 1898 a microscopic 

 examination of the fish in the ponds and neighboring waters revealed 

 almost everywhere, even among the wild native fishes of Craig Pond, 

 the presence of a trematode i^arasite, which could not be distinguished 

 from the species that attacked the lake trout with such fatal effect. 



St. Johnsbury Station, Vermont (John W. Titcomb, Superintendent). 

 At the beginning of the year the stock of fish on hand was as follows: 



The 35 steelhead and 410 rainbow trout resulting from eggs hatched 

 at the station in 1895 and 1896 were carried through the summer with 

 comparatively small losses. In the fall a considerable number of eggs 

 were collected from the steelhead s, but many of them were glassy, as is 

 common with eggs taken from 2-year-old rainbow trout. It would 

 appear that the steelhead can be easily domesticated ; the fry on hand 

 at the close of the year were strong and healthy. The rainbow trout 

 produced few eggs, and most of them were glassy when extruded. 



During September the steelhead trout hatched in 1898 were planted 

 in Crystal and Morey lakes and the landlocked salmon in Willoughby, 

 Caspian, and Dunmore lakes. The brook- trout yearlings were distrib- 

 uted during the fall and early winter. 



As the ponds at St. Johnsbury are very small and not adapted for 

 rearing quinnat salmon, 200 were transferred to Craig Brook station 

 in May and the remaining 147 were planted in Morey Lake. 



Early in the summer field stations for collecting wild brook trout 

 eggs were established at Darlings Pond, Groton; Lake Mitchell, 

 Sharon, and Caspian Lake, Greensboro. Explorations were also made 

 with the view to establishing additional stations at Little Leach Pond 

 in Averill, Lake Dunmore at Salisbury, and ponds of the Wells Eiver 

 Fish and Game Club at Wells River. 



■ On July 8 the construction of a trap was commenced at Darlings 

 Pond, but no efforts were made to retain any fish during the warm 

 weather. On September 20 A. H. Dinsmore was placed in charge and 



