24 



cial and game fishes of the State, care of the exhibit to be maintained 

 by the U. S. Commission; that all Hshes indigenous to this locality 

 should be furnished for their exhibit as well as our own and main- 

 tained so far as suijply was concerned during the entire term, the use 

 of the aquaria and consequent care to be without expense to the Illi- 

 nois Commission: that the Illinois Commission should keep one mem- 

 ber of the commission there as much as possible to demonstate the 

 exhibit. This arrangement was carried out and the funds necessary 

 to carry out our part of the program were furnished by the Illinois 

 Commission to Louisiana Purchase iTxposition from the amount ap- 

 propriated by the Legislature to erect a building, maintain pro^Der 

 exhibit, etc. Senator Dunlap and colleagues were verj' courteous and 

 gave us all the assistance asked. 



The exhibit at U. S. Fisheries building was labeled Illinois Fish 

 Commission Exhibit and the three aquaria turned over to us. The 

 space assigned us constituted about 1-20 of the whole space which 

 cost to equip and maintian close to $100,000.00. We kept our part 

 of the contract to the letter, using for a part of the time our steamer 

 Illinois to transport the live tish to St. Louis. A full report of con- 

 ditions and data in connection with our part of the exhibit is em- 

 bodied in a report made to them which we give herewith. 



St. Loris, Mo., Dec. 31. 1904. 

 To the Honorable Board of Illinois Commist.sioners. Louisiana Purchase Erposi- 



tion, St. Louis, Mo. : 



We respectfully submit herewith ovir report on live fish exhibit made under - 

 your direction. 



The exhibit at the United States Fish Commission building- was in the large ' 

 corner aquarium, situated in the soiitheast corner of the building-, and the 

 two smaller aquaria immediately adjoining on the right and left. 



In the larger aqiiarium. the commissioners decided to show the commercial 

 fishes of the State, that is to say. such fishes as were commonly used for ship- 

 ping-, and found in greatest abundance, namely, the carp, buiialo. the coarser 

 catfishes, and dog-fish. The dog-fish in the last few years, has become a very 

 important factor in the food supply, having been previoxislj- thrown away as 

 worthless, but now extensively used by a class of people in the larger cities, 

 and sold alive under the name of grass bass. In this aquarium has been carried 

 for a period of seven months, perhapsthelargestamount in weight ever carried 

 in aquarium for that length of time with so small percentage of loss. 



In the smaller aquaria was shown the gamier fishes of the State, a list of 

 which comprises the black bass, crappie. sunfishes. yellow perch, white perch, 

 war mouth bass, and the two varieties of striped bass. 



The aquaria has attracted a great deal of attention, particularly among those 

 who ai-e interested in the subject of fish propagation and distribution, and 

 have given our people a better idea of what our State has produced in the 

 way of that, than could have been obtained by any other method. 



In order to properly care for this aquarium, a large amount of time has 

 been needed on a part of the attendants. This has been furnished, of course. 

 by the United States Fish Commission without cost to your commission, 

 further than entailed by that part of oi;r contract which provided that we 

 should fui-nish s\ich fish as was needed for the various aquaria in the building. 



The use of the steamer Illinois diu-ing the season has been almost continu- 

 ous in carrying fish from places where they were collected to St. Louis, has 

 been mainly the onlj^ practical way in vvhich they could be delivered in 

 proper condition. 



The water at St. Louis for the whole period of the exposition has been of 

 a character that has called for the strictest attention on the part of the em- 

 ployees. The process of clearing the water used by the St. Louis Water Com- 

 pany is of such a nature that the water comes to the building thoroughly 



