﻿OBSERVATIONS 
  

  

  rrox 
  Tnr; 
  

  

  Hatching, 
  Development 
  and 
  Variation 
  of 
  the 
  

  

  RARITAN 
  RIVER 
  SMELT, 
  (Osmerus 
  eperlanus). 
  

  

  H. 
  J. 
  RICE, 
  B. 
  Sc. 
  CoKKELL, 
  

  

  (Fellow 
  ia 
  ^at. 
  ffist., 
  Johns 
  i^opkins 
  Sniv. 
  

  

  (Baliimore, 
  (December 
  ist, 
  iS'jy. 
  

   Mn. 
  T. 
  B. 
  Ferguson, 
  

  

  Commissioner 
  of 
  Fisheries 
  State 
  of 
  Maryland. 
  

  

  Sir: 
  — 
  Having 
  been 
  desired 
  by 
  you 
  last 
  March 
  to 
  take 
  

   charge 
  of, 
  and 
  report 
  upon 
  the 
  methods 
  of 
  hatching 
  the 
  

   spawn 
  of 
  the 
  Smelt 
  of 
  the 
  Raritan 
  river, 
  N. 
  J., 
  upon 
  which 
  

   you 
  were 
  about 
  to 
  begin 
  operations, 
  and 
  which 
  was 
  a 
  new 
  

   field 
  of 
  labor 
  for 
  the 
  Commission, 
  I 
  hereby 
  have 
  the 
  honor 
  

   to 
  report 
  to 
  you 
  such 
  observations 
  as 
  I 
  was 
  able 
  to 
  make 
  

   while 
  engaged 
  in 
  cmbryological 
  work 
  at 
  the 
  headquarters 
  of 
  

   the 
  Commission. 
  

  

  The 
  field 
  of 
  operations 
  was 
  at 
  the 
  city 
  of 
  New 
  Brunswick, 
  

   situated 
  about 
  S 
  miles 
  from 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  Raritan 
  river, 
  

   where 
  it 
  empties 
  into 
  the 
  Raritan 
  bay. 
  The 
  Smelt 
  come 
  up 
  the 
  

   Raritan 
  river 
  from 
  the 
  bay 
  in 
  great 
  schools 
  dudng 
  the 
  winter 
  

   and 
  spring 
  months, 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  depositing 
  their 
  spawn; 
  

   and 
  during 
  this 
  time 
  they 
  are 
  often 
  caught 
  in 
  immense 
  quan- 
  

   tities 
  About 
  five 
  miles 
  above 
  the 
  city 
  of 
  New 
  Brunswick 
  

   there 
  is 
  a 
  dam 
  which 
  blocks 
  the 
  river, 
  and 
  which 
  the 
  Smelt 
  

   cannot 
  surmount. 
  They 
  become, 
  thus 
  as 
  it 
  were, 
  shut 
  into 
  a 
  

   bag, 
  with 
  the 
  blind 
  end 
  near 
  the 
  city. 
  The 
  fishing 
  grounds. 
  

  

  