14 



tion for that year had been exhausted, we deemed it advisable 

 to keep the fish then at the Hatching House until the Legis- 

 lature convened in January, when the Representatives of the 

 people should have an opportunity of examining into the 

 needs of the Commission, and make the necessary appropri- 

 ation for carrying on the work. 



As soon as the appropriation was made we completed the 

 distribution of fish then on hand, which we were able to do in a 

 much more thorough manner than if we had made the dis- 

 tribution with the cramped appropriation of the preceding 

 term. 



The several rivers, and the number of fish placed in each 

 will be found in the annexed table of distribution. From this 

 table it will be seen that 268,764 were actually planted in the 

 waters of Maryland, and as these fish were considerably 

 larger than those generally planted, it is hoped that a much 

 larger number of them will reach maturity, and compensate 

 thereby for the cost of keeping them the additional time in 

 the Hatching House. 



The system pursued by us has been to place these fish in 

 waters as nearly alike in ail respects as possible to those 

 waters in which they were originally found, and put them in 

 sufficient quantities in a few rivers, so that their presence 

 would be felt on their return from the Sea for the purpose of 

 spawning, as it is expected they will do when they reach 

 maturity; that is, in three or four years from the time of their 

 being placed in the stream. 



During the months of November and December of the year 

 of 1876, having a very much larger number of young Califor- 

 nia Salmon, we have extended the distribution very generally 

 throughout the State, including many rivers whose characters 

 are unlike those rivers of the Pacific Coast, of which the 

 Salmon is native. We have included in this year's distribu- 

 tion all the principal rivers on the Eastern Shore, whose 

 waters are salt or brackish through most of their extent, 



