TWELFTH ANNUAL MEETING. 9 
denied that the striped bass eats the menhaden, but it is gener- 
ally believed that they subsist largely on this fish. It is evident 
that the general government must investigate this question 
before long. 
Cot. McDona.tp.—I would call the attention of the Associa- 
tion to the following extracts from a letter from Mr. S. P. Worth, 
Superintendent of Fisheries of South Carolina, on the spawning 
of the rockfish or striped bass, in the Roanoke River. He 
writes under date of June 2nd, 1883, and says: 
“In regard to the propagation of rock I am gratified to 
mention successful operations. Last year I caused an examina- 
tion to be made of these fish in the market at Weldon. Eleven 
ripe fish were reported. Having spawned, in 1880, a fifty-seven 
pound fish, the eggs of which reached the number, according to 
my estimate, of 3,000,000, I regarded the capture of eleven ripe 
fish at Weldon, within a brief period, quite sufficient reason for 
placing spawn-takers there this season. On May oth, with con- 
fidence, I put in position at Weldon sixty-five McDonald jars, 
and while there nine ripe fish were found, the weights varying 
from thirty-five pounds to as low as five pounds. Four of these 
were taken by the fishermen before the jars arrived. The spawn 
was taken from three afterward captured, while two other fish 
were unwittingly sold, their ripeness not being detected by the 
possessors. Six hundred and sixty-five thousand eggs were 
taken, impregnated and hatched. The plant was twenty thous- 
and fish put in the Roanoke, at Weldon. I estimated the rock 
eggs at 20,000 to the liquid standard quart, regarding them of 
the approximate size of shad eggs. I observed the following 
points, viz., that viewed in water the yolk only can be seen; that 
the yolk, or embryo fish, by gravitation, always occupies the 
lower portion of the egg; that the egg shell contains an oil 
globule, which causes it to float without reversing its position ; 
that the eggs are very oily and appear to undergo greatest loss 
in the progress of impregnation, suggesting that they should be 
taken in water; that a loss of forty per cent. took place before 
hatching began; that the unimpregnated egg is of a decided 
green color, the yolk of the impregnated egg being a paler, 
