38 WISCONSIN' ACADEMY SCIENCES, AETS, AND LETTEKS. 



tacea and occasionally on the larvas of insects. Whether this fish 

 will thrive in any of these smaller lakes is still doubtffil. How- 

 ever, it is worth the trial surely. The genus Argyrosomus includes 

 those smaller species of whitefish, having a sharp nose and project- 

 ing underjaw. There are at least four species known, three of them 

 are found only in the largest lakes. The fourth, the Sisco, inhab- 

 its several of the smaller lakes. There is at least one species, the Lake- 

 herring, a. chiperifonnis, that can be transferred to all of those lakes 

 where the Sisco is now found. All of these small whitefish take the 

 baited hook at certain seasons of the year. The other two species 

 inhabit the profound depths of Lakes Michigan and Superior, and will 

 not flourish if taken from these waters. The Salmon trout — Sal- 

 mo namaycush is one of the largest and best of the fresh 

 water salmon; a species that is one of the easiest to propagate ar- 

 tificially, the egg being large and hardy. We have many lakes, 

 undoubtedly, where this great gamefish would multiply and be at 

 home. Why should we be running after strange gods, when we 

 have such a treasure at home ? At Racine and Milwaukee the egg 

 can be procured in any numbers desired. 



The so-called brook-trout (Salmo fontinalis) are just the thing 

 for ponds supplied by free flowing springs of pure cold water. For 

 this purpose the}^ have no equal, bnt it is probable that it would be 

 hardly expedient to use this species for stocking public waters. 

 There is a species of salmon that has lost the instincts of its 

 distant relation, the salmo salor, so that it has no longer a de- 

 sire to visit the ocean. The " land-locked salmon" (Salmo sehago) 

 is not quite one half as large as the salmon trout, but is an excellent 

 game fish; one that will thrive in a number of the lakes. We have quite 

 a number now in the State of Wisconsin, and hope soon to be able to 

 stock some of the lakes with this fish. The black bass (Micropterus 

 nigricans and M. Salmoides), are excellent fish, but difiicult to 

 propagate in consequence of their eggs having a jnucous coat that 

 causes them to adhere in packets. There is an interesting paper 

 published in the V. S. Fish Commissioners Report, for 1872 and 

 1873, on page 567, by Rudolph Hessel, of Germany, " On methods 

 of treating adhesive eggs of certain fishes in artificial propagation." 

 Hessel, it is hoped, has struck the right method, and we hope that 

 in a short time we shall be able to propagate bass, and especially 

 the European Carp, (Oyprimis carpio and other species) which de- 



