REPORT FOR FIVE MONTHS ENDING MARCH 31st, 1935 47 



While the total of this table would indicate 538 seizures, some of the actual 

 455 seizure cases would be duplicated in these entries; such as one seizure might 

 report fire-arms, as well as birds etc.; another, fish and fishing equipment; while 

 still others would include traps and pelts, and the apparent discrepancy is therefore 

 accounted for by these various duplicate entries from one seizure report. 



EXPERIMENTAL FUR FARM 



During the period under review, an investigation was carried out regarding 

 the digestibility of various cereal foods for foxes. The first problem investigated 

 was the place of raw and uncooked cereals in the diet. The use of raw cereals 

 finely ground has been widely advocated from time to time as a time and labour- 

 saving method. However, the experimental data secured with test foxes receiving 

 raw ground oatmeal, rice, whole wheat flour and corn meal, revealed quite definitely 

 that they were not properly digested either singly or in combination with one an- 

 other. The feces showed considerable quantities of undigested starch, thus demon- 

 strating that the fox is unable to reduce starch to an assimilable form in the raw 

 state. On the other hand, when the cereals mentioned above were thoroughly cook- 

 ed for the period of one hour or so, the foxes were able to digest it very thoroughly. 

 No raw starch could be demonstrated in the feces of these animals. 



Further studies were carried out with the round worm and its relation to patho- 

 logical conditions which are often found in the lungs of young fox pups from one to 

 two weeks of age. From the time the egg is swallowed by the fox it is 51 to 52 days 

 until the female worm reaches naturity and is producing eggs. Once the larvae hatch, 

 they migrate through the body and cause a serious disturbance in the blood cells. 

 This disturbance reaches the peak around the 12th day. It has been definitely 

 established that pups become infected with round larvae previous to birth and 

 that the pregnant female, if infected with larvae, can pass them to the pups by way 

 of the blood stream. An examination of many pups which died in early age show 

 that the small blood vessels of the lungs have been ruptured by the larvae, leading 

 to serious pneumonia complications and often death. It is obvious that fur farmers, 

 (once the cold weather has commmenced in the Fall, and which weather conditions 

 prevents parasitic eggs from developing) should make serious efforts to rid all fe- 

 males of adult worms by the use of capsules containing worm-destroying properties. 

 A more detailed account of these experiments has been published in the fur farm- 

 ing press and the results have also been extended to fur farmers by lectures de- 

 livered at regional meetings held throughout the Province. 



Apart from this work, the customary routine and post mortem examinations of 

 animals sent from ranches for diagnostic purposes were carried out. 



FISH CULTURE BRANCH 

 (See Pages 11, 12 and 13.) 



REPORT OF THE BIOLOGICAL AND FISH CULTURE BRANCH 



COLLECTION OF SPAWN 



Generally speaking, the spawning season of lake trout, whitefish, and herring 

 in the Great Lakes falls to some extent within the period of this report. The 

 spawning season varies according to the species and the geographical, climatic, and 

 limnobiological conditions existing in the various areas. 



It would be out of place to go into a discussion of spawning seasons within the 

 compass of this report. It is sufficient to say that during the fall spawntaking crews 

 are organized for the purpose of collecting spawn of the commercial species for our 

 various hatcheries which are located at strategic points along the Great Lakes' 

 chain. In addition to the work of the hatchery crews, the Department has received 



