ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY BULLETIN 



ARK FISHES KILLED BY FREEZING? 



THIS is a question which comes up occasionally 

 in spite of the fact that it has often been 

 answered in the negative. 



Mr. W. E. Meehan, Commissioner of Fisheries of 

 Pennsylvania, recently called at the Acjuarium and 

 gave the following account of his e.xperiments in 

 freezing and thawing live fishes. He has kindly 

 allowed it to he published here in advance of the 

 account included in his annual State report. 



Six three-year-old trout were j)laced in a tub of 

 water, six two-year-old trout in another tub of 

 water and six yearlings in a bucket of water. All 

 three vessels were placed out of doors in very cold 

 weather and the water allowed to freeze solid. 



The freezing in the last-named vessel was so 

 thorough that the staves of the bucket were burst 

 apart. The eighteen fishes were allowed to remain 

 encased in ice for two weeks, when they were 

 thawed out by allowing spring water to flow steadily 

 on the ice. The thawing required about twenty- 

 four hours. 



Of the eighteen fishes the two- and three-year- 

 olds were all dead and two of the yearlings — the 

 latter bore evidences of having been dead only a 

 short time. 



The two- and three-year-olds liad cvideiuly died 

 soon after being frozen in. The four yearling 

 fishes which survived were none the worse for the 

 experiment. 



The experiments were made at the State hatch- 

 eries located at Wayne, Bellefont, and Corry, 

 Penn. 



Subsequently there was a natural freezing in a 

 shallow artificial pond near one of the hatcheries 

 which contained about 2.000 yearling California 

 trout. Through some accident the water supply 

 was cut off and the water in the pond froze solid 

 and remained so for several days. Tlie water was 

 only about a foot deep. When the thaw came not 

 one fish was found dead. 



Mr. Meehan undertook these three experiments 

 to refute statements in circulation that the cold 

 winter had destroyed a large number of trout in the 

 streams. As a matter of fact there was better trout 

 fishing in Pennsylvania the following season (1905) 

 than there had been for many years. 



In the above prearranged freezings the tests 

 were very severe. Under natural conditions it is 

 not likely that fishes are often frozen in winter. 

 Their tendency is to seek the deeper water of pools 

 and channels as cold weather comes on, where they 

 can keep below the ice. Fishes are not very active 

 in winter, although they can be taken in fishing 

 through the ice. 



Even at the Aquarium where the water has tlowed 

 a long distance in underground pipes, protected 

 from the winter cold, the fresh-water fishes go into 



a semi-torpid condition, many of them lying quietly 

 at the bottom of the tanks and refusing food for 

 months. Fishes of the pike family eat little, 

 although remaining poised in mid-tank. Trout 

 and salmon continue active in winter, feeding 

 freely. 



In regard to the actual freezing of fishes, Mr. W. 

 I. DeNyse, of the Aquarium staff, makes the follow- 

 ing statement, based on his personal experience: 



"Eels speared in winter through holes cut in the 

 ice and thrown out on the ice soon freeze hard and 

 stiff and may remain in that condition the rest of 

 the day. When taken home and thawed in a warm 

 room so that they can be skinned easily, they are 

 always found to be alive and squirming except in 

 the case of those badly mutilated by the spear or 

 killed outright." 



Members of the New York Zoological Society are entitled 

 to the Annual Reports and Quarterly Bulletins and to 

 free entrance on closed days to the Zoological Park and 

 .\(iuarium. Dues for annual members, Sio. Life mem- 

 bers, S200. Information and application forms may be 

 obtained at the Aquarium, at the ofiice of the Society, n 

 Wall Street, and the New York Zoological Park, New 

 York City. Publications may be oljtained at any of the 

 above-mentioned places. 



PriHJCATlOXS. 



First .Annual Kipurt Paper, $ .40 



Second Paper, S . 75 Cloth, i .00 



Thinl " .40 " .60 



Fourth ■' .40 " .60 



Fifth " .75 " 1. 00 



Si.xth " .75 " 1.00 



Seventh " 1.00 " 1.25 



Eighth " 1 .00 " 1.25 



Ninth " 1.25 " 1.50 



Notes on Mountain Sheep of North .\nierica. 



(Hornaday) Paper, .40 



Destruction of Our Birds and Mammals. 



(Hornaday) " .15 



The Caribou. (Grant) " .40 



Cloth, .60 



The Origin and Relationship of the Large 



Mammals of North .America. (Orant).. " i.oo 



The Rocky Mountain Goat (Grant) " 1.00 



Sea-Shore Life. (Mayer) " 1.20- 



Guide Book: New York Zoological Park. 



(Hornaday) " .25 



Bulletins No. 5 to No. 20 S .15, four numbers .50 



Bulletin No. 6 out of print 



Book of Views, 20 pages, S .x 7 inches. 24 Illustra- 

 tions 25 



Book of \'iews, 24 pages, 7J X9 inches. 50 Illustra- 

 tions 50- 



Book of Views (New) 50 pages, g x 11 inches. 50 



Illustrations i.oo 



Postal Cards, Black and White... 5 for $ .10 13 for .25 

 '■ ■' Bromide Black and 



White 3 " .10 S " .25 



" " Colored 3 " .10 8 " .25 



" " New Color Process . 3 " .10 8 " .25 

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