﻿10 
  

  

  cept 
  hy 
  not 
  taking 
  them 
  at 
  all 
  ; 
  for 
  their 
  capture 
  is 
  not 
  pos- 
  

   sible 
  at 
  any 
  other 
  time. 
  After 
  an 
  individual 
  Shad 
  or 
  Her- 
  

   ring 
  is 
  taken, 
  that's 
  an 
  end 
  of 
  it 
  ; 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  way 
  of 
  saving 
  

   hini 
  or 
  her, 
  even 
  if 
  found 
  ready 
  to 
  reproduce, 
  let 
  the 
  captor 
  

   bo 
  ever 
  so 
  disposed 
  to 
  do 
  it. 
  But 
  the 
  Shad 
  and 
  Herring 
  are 
  

   enormously 
  prolific, 
  the 
  Herring 
  more 
  so 
  than 
  the 
  Shad 
  ; 
  or 
  

   ratlier 
  they 
  each 
  have 
  great 
  capacity 
  for 
  reproduction 
  ; 
  but 
  

   tliat 
  the 
  results 
  from 
  the 
  natural 
  production 
  of 
  tliose 
  fish 
  

   which 
  escape, 
  are 
  at 
  all 
  approximate 
  to 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  eggs 
  

   contained 
  in 
  the 
  ovaries 
  is 
  very 
  doubtful. 
  I 
  am 
  inclined 
  to 
  

   think 
  that 
  by 
  far 
  the 
  greatest 
  loss, 
  with 
  this 
  class 
  of 
  fish, 
  is 
  

   during 
  the 
  egg 
  state. 
  It 
  is 
  impossible 
  to 
  make 
  any 
  estimate 
  

   as 
  to 
  the 
  percentage 
  of 
  loss 
  of 
  eggs 
  from 
  unimpregnation, 
  

   destruction 
  by 
  sediment, 
  and 
  by 
  being 
  preyed 
  upon 
  

   by 
  Eels 
  and 
  other 
  fish, 
  but 
  it 
  must 
  be 
  very 
  large. 
  In 
  

   very 
  many 
  cases 
  where 
  nature 
  is 
  most 
  lavish 
  as 
  to 
  num- 
  

   bers, 
  does 
  she 
  permit 
  the 
  greatest 
  waste, 
  and 
  with 
  many 
  of 
  

   the 
  fishes, 
  we 
  can 
  observe 
  that 
  the 
  natural 
  protections 
  given 
  

   the 
  eggs 
  are 
  inversely 
  as 
  the 
  number 
  produced 
  by 
  the 
  par- 
  

   ent. 
  The 
  male 
  of 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  *Siluroids 
  carry 
  the 
  half 
  

   doz. 
  or 
  so 
  eggs 
  deposited 
  by 
  its 
  mate 
  in 
  the 
  mouth, 
  and 
  care 
  

   for 
  them 
  until 
  developed 
  ; 
  whereas 
  the 
  thousands 
  pro- 
  

   duced 
  by 
  the 
  Shad 
  are 
  left 
  to 
  be 
  preyed 
  upon 
  by 
  every 
  

   passing 
  fish. 
  The 
  Salmon 
  yield 
  much 
  fewer 
  eggs 
  than 
  

   the 
  Shad, 
  and 
  they 
  are 
  apparently 
  much 
  more 
  carefully 
  

   deposited 
  by 
  the 
  fish, 
  and 
  with 
  much 
  better 
  chances 
  of 
  

   becoming 
  impregnated 
  by 
  contact 
  with 
  the 
  milt 
  than 
  the 
  

   Shad 
  eggs, 
  yet 
  l\[r. 
  Myron 
  Green, 
  foreman 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  

   States 
  Commission 
  Hatching 
  Station 
  on 
  the 
  McCloud 
  

   river, 
  found 
  that 
  not 
  more 
  than 
  eight 
  per 
  cent, 
  of 
  the 
  eggs 
  

   naturally 
  spawned 
  were 
  fertile. 
  See 
  report 
  of 
  Commis- 
  

   sioners 
  Fisheries 
  California, 
  1877, 
  page 
  12, 
  for 
  this 
  state- 
  

   ment 
  : 
  '' 
  After 
  throwing 
  out 
  all 
  the 
  eggs 
  found 
  not 
  to 
  be 
  

   fecund, 
  there 
  were 
  left 
  eight 
  per 
  cent, 
  of 
  the 
  whole 
  number 
  

   gathered, 
  which 
  were 
  found 
  to 
  be 
  fertile. 
  When 
  eggs 
  and 
  

   milt 
  are 
  artificially 
  brought 
  in 
  contact 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  water, 
  it 
  

   -Arius 
  fissus, 
  A. 
  Boahdi. 
  

  

  