﻿XXV 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  morning 
  of' 
  the 
  ninth 
  ahnost 
  all 
  of 
  the 
  eggs 
  were 
  

   "hatched, 
  showing 
  a 
  much 
  more 
  rapid 
  development 
  than 
  that 
  

   of 
  shad 
  eggs 
  under 
  similar 
  circumstances. 
  

  

  After 
  being 
  hatched, 
  the 
  fish 
  were 
  found 
  to 
  be 
  considerably 
  

   smaller 
  than 
  shad, 
  but 
  with 
  much 
  larger 
  umbilical 
  sacs. 
  So 
  

   small, 
  in 
  fact, 
  were 
  they, 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  impossible 
  to 
  confine 
  them 
  

   by 
  the 
  wire 
  cloth 
  used 
  in 
  the 
  propagation 
  of 
  shad. 
  Most 
  of 
  

   those 
  hatched 
  made 
  their 
  escape 
  through 
  the 
  meshes 
  of 
  the 
  

   wire 
  cloth. 
  Several 
  thousands 
  were 
  dipped 
  out 
  from 
  the 
  

   hatching 
  vessels 
  and 
  placed 
  in 
  transporting 
  cans, 
  and 
  many 
  

   of 
  them 
  were 
  carried 
  to 
  Washington 
  and 
  some 
  to 
  Baltimore. 
  

   The 
  last 
  mentioned 
  were 
  placed 
  in 
  the 
  running 
  water 
  at 
  the 
  

   hatching 
  house 
  in 
  Druid 
  Hill 
  Park. 
  As 
  a 
  matter 
  of 
  experiment, 
  

   several 
  thousands 
  of 
  these 
  young 
  rock 
  were 
  placed 
  in 
  a 
  tin 
  

   pail 
  on 
  the 
  deck 
  of 
  the 
  steamer 
  Lookout, 
  and 
  kept 
  there 
  with- 
  

   out 
  change 
  of 
  water. 
  They 
  w^ere 
  alive, 
  and 
  apparently 
  healthy, 
  

   ten 
  days 
  after 
  being 
  hatched. 
  During 
  -a 
  considerable 
  part 
  of 
  

   the 
  time 
  they 
  were 
  on 
  deck 
  and 
  exposed 
  to 
  the 
  rays 
  of 
  the 
  

   sun. 
  This 
  experiment 
  shows 
  that 
  young 
  rock 
  can 
  be 
  much 
  

   more 
  easily 
  transported 
  than 
  young 
  shad 
  ; 
  and 
  that, 
  in 
  its 
  ear- 
  

   liest 
  stages 
  at 
  least, 
  it 
  is 
  a 
  very 
  hardy 
  fish. 
  This 
  is 
  an 
  im- 
  

   portant 
  consideration 
  in 
  view 
  of 
  the 
  fact 
  that, 
  in 
  order 
  thor- 
  

   oughly 
  to 
  stock 
  the 
  waters 
  of 
  the 
  State, 
  the 
  limited 
  area 
  of 
  

   the 
  spawning 
  grounds 
  of 
  the 
  rock 
  may 
  render 
  it 
  necessary 
  

   to 
  procure 
  the 
  eggs 
  and 
  hatch 
  the 
  fish 
  at 
  some 
  point 
  remote 
  

   from 
  the 
  waters 
  intended 
  to 
  be 
  stocked. 
  

  

  The 
  capture 
  of 
  these 
  fish 
  at 
  so 
  advanced 
  a 
  period 
  in 
  the 
  

   season 
  M^ould 
  seem 
  to 
  indicate 
  that 
  their 
  spawning 
  time 
  is 
  

   somewhat 
  later 
  than 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  shad. 
  This 
  may 
  account 
  for 
  

   the 
  failure, 
  heretofore, 
  to 
  find 
  ripe 
  rock 
  among 
  those 
  taken 
  

   while 
  fishing 
  for 
  shad 
  and 
  herring. 
  

  

  The 
  fishing 
  season 
  in 
  Albemarle 
  Sound 
  usually 
  ends 
  about 
  

   the 
  1st 
  of 
  May, 
  but 
  during 
  last 
  spring 
  the 
  fisheries 
  owned 
  by 
  

   Dr. 
  Capeheart 
  were 
  continued 
  to 
  a 
  somewhat 
  later 
  date. 
  The 
  

   table 
  giving 
  the 
  details 
  of 
  shad-hatching 
  operations 
  on 
  pages 
  

   XXX 
  to 
  XXXIII 
  show 
  that 
  the 
  spawning 
  season 
  of 
  shad 
  in 
  Albe- 
  

   marle 
  Sound 
  extends 
  from 
  the 
  latter 
  part 
  of 
  March 
  to 
  the 
  first 
  

   •of 
  May. 
  We 
  have 
  not 
  been 
  able 
  heretofore 
  to 
  find 
  ripe 
  shad 
  

  

  