American Fisheries Society. on 
The disappointment was due in the estimation of the department 
to the water. Dr. Tarleton H. Bean, who is in charge of the 
Forestry, Fish and Game Building made every effort to meet the 
requirements of a good live fish exhibit, and hence any disap- 
pointment cannot be placed on his shoulders. The water of the 
Mississippi river, it need scarcely be said, is, in its normal condi- 
tion unfit for high grade fishes, such as Pennsylvania has in its 
lakes and mountain streams. Filtered water at the best cannot 
be considered as entirely fulfilling the needs of fishes like the 
brook trout for example, and chemically filtered water is among 
the most objectionable of methods employed for purification, and 
the water of the Mississippi furnished for the aquaria was fil- 
tered, it is said, by both lime and alum. As a consequence most 
of the first supply of fish sent to the exposition died with dis- 
couraging promptness. Through the efforts of Dr. Bean the 
water was subsequently filtered by the alum process in a manner 
which permits the maintenance of fish hfe. Unfortunately about 
the time that this was corrected the weather became very warm 
and the temperature of the water arose to a point where a num- 
ber of species of Pennsylvania fishes could not live and also at a 
time when some of the species taken in the second load were 
about spawning. As a consequence on the Fourth of July there 
were only sixteen species out of the original thirty-two still alive, 
and the majority were such hardy species as the catfishes, and 
the carps, and some of the surviving species had only one or two 
specimens. Dr. Bean had arranged for a refrigerating plant at 
the beginning of the exposition in order that there might be a 
good supply of cold water; but unfortunately the person, or par- 
ties, who had the contract, for installing the cold water appa- 
ratus, failed to do the work and the exposition officials neglected 
to compel him to do so. Subsequently Dr. Bean succeeded in 
inducting the exposition officials to put in a refrigerating plant, 
and when it is completed it is hoped that Pennsylvania’s display 
of fishes at the World’s Fair may be representative of its fish life. 
