American Fisheries Society. 69 
y 
used at the station the past year has consisted of hogs’ plucks 
bought of J. P. Squire and Company of Boston, at prices rang- 
ing from five to nine cents per pluck, or generally five cents, 
making a mean cost of about one and one-fourth cents per pound, 
or, including freight, one and one-half cents per pound. The 
total purchased during the feeding season of 1904, that is, from 
April 2 to October 31, was 24,145 pounds. Its cost in Boston 
was $301.01, and, including freight, $362.21. The food given 
the fry has always been recorded separately from that given to 
the older fish. During the season of 1904 the fry under feeding 
numbered 543,744 of all sorts, namely: 
SG AMVC EE SEMAN OM eestase cc "a's, Sasiavarslictearc.tr ose es 304,490 
Wamllocked SaUMOMss.. weet. Ge wee ae 2,458 
Aaa MOO Wine LLOUG ee tects. ois of Ae ee ans eee 1,589 
TerOGles UOU Ry cae ethos res ee 219,783 
WCOUCIN Sw Ga, we EON ee, cenb eens ucnoaa erars 6,285 
SicelheadewterGUrer sty nmi eee eee Cer: 9,139 
Feeding began about June 1, and between that date and the 
end of October these fry consumed 17,871.9 pounds of food cost- 
ing $307.09, or $0.000565 per fish. Thus seventeen and seven- 
tenths fish ate one cent’s worth of food, including the freight. 
Reckoning on the basis of the number of fish left on hand October 
1, the result would be somewhat effected, but on this basis it 
would still appear that not far from thirteen fish were supplied 
with food for one cent.” 
Nothing has been done during the past year with the view 
of increasing the natural reproduction of fish food in ponds or 
for the purpose of producing on a large scale, live food such as 
minute aquatic life and insect larvae, although the importance 
of this line of experiments is fully appreciated. 
The importance of recording failures is sometimes quite as 
great as the report of successes. At several stations of the Bu- 
reau attempts have been made to propagate the spotted catfish 
ictalurus punctatus without successful results. Little is known 
about their spawning habits, but they apparently spawn in run- 
ning water on gravel or rocky bottom. Superintendent Jones of 
Fishery station reports that at the World’s fair in Chicago in 
1893 he stripped a spotted catfish and fertilized the eggs, but the 
