562 REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER GF FISHERIES. 
statement as to whether the respiratory movements are suspended, 
and I have myself had no opportunity to observe carp in this condi- 
tion. When I visited Lake Erie in November, 1901, some carp at 
least were still moving about, as they were taken in smajl numbers 
daily in the pounds and gill nets set for white-fish. This in spite of 
the fact that the weather was very cold, with frequent snow squalls, 
though the lake had not yet begun to freeze. Examination of the 
stomachs of these fish showed, too, that they had been feeding, though 
in no case was there much foed in the alimentary tract. This observa- 
tion agrees with the statement of Brakeley (1889), who says that 
instead of hibernating with the nose in the mud for several months, as 
they do in Kurope, in this country they do so only for a short time, if 
at all. 
VITALITY. 
Many instances have been reported to show the extent to which 
carp can resist cold. 1 can not do better than to quote a case 
reported by Smiley (1886, p. 676): 
On the morning of January 4, 1884, 2,100 German carp were forwarded from Wash- 
ington, by express, to Birmingham, Ala. Mr. F. L. Donnelly, a messenger of the 
Commission, proceeded by the same train to watch them on their passage and to - 
take charge of them upon their arrival at Birmingham. The fish had been placed 
in the usual 4-quart tin pails, and packed in crates of 16 pails each. Tach pail 
contained 15 carp. 
Mr. Donnelly and the carp arrived at Birmingham at 1.30 a. m., January 6. The 
packages were left in the office of the Southern Express Company through the 
remainder of that night, but placed within 19 feet of the stove in order to prevent 
the water freezing. The thermometer indicated +4° F. at the time of arrival. At 
8 o’clock on the morning of the 6th Mr. Donnelly examined the condition of the 
fish, and in his official report dated January 14, says: 
“TY was greatly surprised to find every drop of water in the buckets frozen into 
solid ice, and all the fish apparently dead; but wpon close examination of their eyes, 
I thought perhaps a great many of them were still alive, though frozen solid in the ice.’’ 
Mr. Donnelly thereupon courageously undertook to see if any of the fish could be 
saved. He procured the necessary laborers, four large tubs, and a supply of water. 
He then broke the ice from the small pails, transferring such as contained carp to 
the water. He states that ‘‘in this manner a great number of fish were soon freed 
from their confinement, and by constant working with them during the entire day 
we were able to save 1,300 fish.’’ Aithough the thermometer continued to remain 
in the vicinity of zero, by careful management he succeeded in keeping the 1,300 fish 
alive until the 8th and 9th, when they were distributed to the applicants throughout 
the State. 
The saving of 1,300 carp out of a lot of 2,100, under such circumstances, may be 
considered a very remarkable achievement. 
tJaving prepared the foregoing statement from Mr. Dennelly’s report, I sent a copy 
of it to Mr. L. H. Black, route agent, Southern Express Company, Montgomery, 
Ala., asking how far he knew the statements to be true. Under date of January 25, 
1884, he wrote me in reply as follows: 
‘As route agent of the Southern Express Company, my duties call me to Birming- 
ham. I saw the carp first on the morning after their arrival at Birmingham, and 
frequently during the day while Mr. Donnelly was at work with them. My opinion 
