20 THE REPORT OF THE No. 31 



after its eggs should be discounted fifty per cent. He is so nervous, and 

 spends so much time looking for trouble or entertainment fifteen or twenty 

 feet away from the nest, that the eggs apparently do not get necessary ven- 

 tilation, and frequently I have seen under these conditions hosts of minnows 

 disporting themselves in the nest and consuming the eggs. I have found 

 also several instances in which minnow eggs have been deposited in bass 

 nests. 



"I notice that I was reported the other day as suggesting to the Georg- 

 ian Bay Commission, the extension of the close season to July 15th. If 

 anyone should mention the matter, this was not the case. I made the sug- 

 gestion that it should extend to July 1st, saying that bass were to be found 

 on the nests as late as July 15th; also that it is unreasonable to have a uni- 

 form close season for a large area of country inasmuch as the spawning time 

 is determined by temperature condition, which vary according to particular 

 locality. 



"I am very anxious to see the bass hatching experiments carried 

 further.'^ 



Revenue and Expenditure. 



The gross revenue for the year from all sources has been $47,755.03, and 

 the expenditure, $31,137.36, leaving a surplus of $16,617.67. (Details of 

 the expenditure, including salaries of departmental officers and of the out- 

 side service, will be found in the Public Accounts.) 



Reports. 



The report of the captain of the "Gilphie," which gives an account of 

 her season's work, will be found at p. 41. She began the season the 9th May, 

 and finished on the 8th December. 



The reports of the overseers deal with the condition of the fisheries in 

 their respective divisions, state what disposition was made of the catch, how 

 the laws were observed, assign reasons for an increase or decrease in the 

 quantity of fish taken, and contain other information of value and interest 

 not to be found in the tables which follow. The statistical information 

 which is to be found elsewhere, has been collected and prepared with the 

 usual care. 



Acknowledgments . 



The department desires to once more express its thanks to the Canadian 

 Pacific and Grand Trunk Railway Companies for the loan of electros from 

 which a number of the photo engravings which appear in the report, and 

 which contribute so materially to its value and interest, have been made. 



All of which is respectfully submitted. 



S. T. Bastedo, 

 Deputy Commissioner. 

 Department of Fisheries, 



Toronto, 31st December, 1905. 



