14 



Sacramento River. In addition, a passage for fish over tliis natural 

 obstruction would give tlie rapidly increasing population of the 

 northeastern portion of the State an abundance of fish. This Act 

 provides that the Fish Commissioners should advertise for proposals^ 

 and let a contract for a fish-way over this fall, and makes an appro- 

 priation of three thousand dollars, with which to pay the cost and 

 incidental expenses of this work. 



As a preliminary to advertising, we appointed A. AV. Von Schmidt, 

 from his known reputation as a civil engineer, to make a survey and 

 sketch of this fall, so that of the various fish- ways in use that best 

 adapted to the situation might be selected. On the approval of his 

 plan, an advertisement was published in different newspapers, as 

 required by law. When the bids were opened, it was found that the 

 lowest was that of Mr. S. C. Mooers, for $2,100. Contracts, in dupli- 

 cate, were made out and sent to him for his signature. After some 

 weeks he wrote, stating that he could not do the Avork for the amount 

 of his bid. We then wrote to E. E. Van Sickel, F. FI. Kenyon, and 

 W. H. Kenyon, the only other bidders, who had proposed to do the 

 work for $2,300, stating the facts as to Mooers' refusal, and asked 

 them if they would contract to do the work, during the coming Sum- 

 mer, for the amount of their bid, $2,300. They replied that they 

 would, and contracts have been signed by them, dated January 5, 

 1881. The work is to be completed between August 1, and Novem- 

 ber 1, 1881. 



This Act is peculiarly worded. Section four says: "When the 

 work is completed, approved, and accepted by the Fish Commission- 

 ers, they shall certify the amount due upon said contract or con- 

 tracts, and the amount due for advertising and other necessary 

 expenses incurred by them in carrying out the provisions of this- 

 Act to the State Board of Examiners, and when approved by said 

 Board, the amount shall be paid out of the General Fund in the 

 State treasur3^" 



The Controller construes this Act to mean that none of the inci- 

 dental expenses, such as surveying and advertising^ can be paid 

 until the v/hole work is completed. These necessary expenses, pre- 

 liminary to letting the contract, amount to about $250, and, as the 

 persons who have performed the work should be paid for their 

 services, we have to request that a supplemental Act should be 

 passed, allowing the Board of Examiners to audit these accounts, 

 and the Controller to draw his warrant on the appropriation made 

 for this purpose. 



BAY AND COAST FISH. 



Accompanying this will be found a report from Mr. W. N. Lock- 

 ington giving a general and popular description of the most impor- 

 tant of the fishes hitherto discovered in the inland and coast waters 

 of the Pacific Coast, U. S. A. In this work he has had the benefit of 

 the notes and discoveries of Professors Jordan and Gilbert, who, as 

 the representatives of the Smithsonian Institute and the United States 

 Census Bureau, have been engaged on this coast, during the past 

 summer, in studying its fish fauna. Many of these fishes are 

 known only by descriptions lately published in the Proc. U. S. 

 Nat. Museum. Mr. Lockington's statements of the habits and 

 migrations, as well as of the places, upon our coast, where par- 

 ticular varieties of food fish are most abundant, if studied by 



