GASES DISSOLVED IN THE WATERS OF WISCONSIN 
LAKES. 
BY DR. EH. A. BIRGE, OF THE WISCONSIN FISH COMMISSION. 
Mr. President: 
When I was listening to the remarks regarding scientists a 
few minutes ago I felt that the scientist in this meeting was some- 
what in the condition of the carp. The sportsmen charge that 
fish with all sorts of crimes and casualties but when they bring 
him into court they cannot find him guilty of any of them. So 
the practical man tries to make the scientist responsible for all 
kinds of troubles, but when the charge is investigated it comes 
to nothing. If the scientists had not received so vigorous a de- 
fense it would be necessary perhaps for me to apologize for pre- 
senting a scientific paper to this meeting, but, under the circum- 
stances, I will give you the paper without apology. 
Some dozen years ago, or more, I began to study the hfe of 
the lower animals found in the open waters of the lakes of Wis- 
consin. I Garried out one rather large job of that sort and found 
as I advanced in it that the conditions of life in lakes were not 
well known. So I then started to take up the study of the physi- 
cal conditions of life in our lakes. Circumstances that I need not 
go into greatly increased my duties at the University of Wiscon- 
sin and for a considerable number of years made it impossible 
for me to continue those investigations. Only recently have I 
been able to take them up again, after long interruption, and to 
carry them on, although much more slowly than I could wish. 
The subject that I am going to talk about today is the dis- 
tribution of the oxygen gas in the waters of our lakes, and some 
thing of the effect of that distribution on the lake as a place for 
aninal life. 
I must begin with a few words in regard to the temperature 
conditions of lakes, because upon them the distribution of gas 
is founded. 
Let Fig. 1 represent a section of a lake, and imagine the basin 
filled with water of uniform temperature, such a condition as 
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