378 NATURAL HISTORY OF HAWAII. 



Falls, but the following day a heavy freshet in the river is supposed to have 

 carried them out to sea, as they were never seen afterward. 



In 1908 Mr. W. A. Templeton, while visiting California, secured a number of 

 large-mouthed black bass "' which he brought back with him and planted in the 

 great artificial fresh-water reservoir at Wahiawa. Under his supervision the intro- 

 duction has proved successful, and this exceedingly valuable game fish is now 

 well established in these waters and in time will doubtless be carried from 

 Wahiawa to similar reservoirs and ponds throughout the group. As these 

 ponds are filled wath shrimp and the temperature and other conditions seem 

 favorable, the black bass is doubtless to become a common article of food in 

 Hawaii and will prove a worthy substitute for almost any of the native fish. 



Trout and Salmon. 



Attempts to establish trout in Hawaii have so far proved unsuccessful, 

 though two or three attempts have been made, the first as early as 1876. It 

 is thought by the writer that there are streams in the group, especially one or 

 two on the Island of ]\Iolokai, that are well adapted to the trout, and that if 

 proper precautions were observed in planting them, they would soon establish 

 themselves. Salmon eggs were sent here for planting in 1876, but this experi- 

 ment proved unsuccessful. 



Mosquito Fish. 



Work along the line of mosquito control had advanced in the Territory 

 to a point where, on the advice of experts, it was deemed advisable to import 

 small fish for the purpose of feeding on the larva^ of this pest that hatches in the 

 streams, ponds and ditches of the Territory. The Legislature of 1905 made a 

 small appropriation for that purpose, and a special collector was employed 

 to transport to Hawaii representatives of the so-called "top minnows" or killi- 

 fish from Galveston, Texas. Three species ^ belonging to three genera of the 

 family PoeciUidcc were successfully introduced into especially-prepared ponds 

 at Moanalua, Oahu. From these they have since been spread broadcast over 

 the group until it is now almost impossible to find slowly-moving or standing 

 fresh water that is not inhabited by one if not all of the species. They are 

 silvery fishes of small size, scarcely more than two inches in length. They 

 have a wonderful appetite, devouring large quantities of mosquito larvie, but, 

 as was expected, they do not discriminate as closely as might be desired, with 

 the result that they are charged with eating the eggs and young of the other 

 aquatic animals. However, the introduction of a few into any closed body of 

 water infested Avith mosquito larva? will convince anyone of their economic 

 value to the Territory. Their small protractile mouths, scaled heads and 

 "minnow" shape is sufficient to separate them from other fresh-water fish, 

 but the species are so smnll that their certain identification by the novice is not 

 an easy matter. 



« Micropterus salmoides. ' Gambusia affiiies, Funduliis grandis and MoHenesia latHpinna. 



