XVIII 



^telv seeureii the equipment of the Steamer for the 

 spring work and commenced active operations on the 4rh 

 day of May. Alx»nt 65<».iXMi eggs were secured at Mox- 

 ley's Point on the same night, and as this number com- 

 pletely filled the ax>paititus on the Steamer, the work «)f 

 taking: esses was necessarilv^ discontinued until additional 

 appai*atus could be imprtA-ised for theii' reception. 



This success on the Potomac, it should l^ remembei*ed. 

 was wholly withruit jurecedent and as we had provided 

 means only for hatching eggs in such numbers as we had 

 hitherto }>een able to secure, we were totally unprepjai-ed 

 to handle the quantities which were obtainable at this 

 period. 



In this state of affairs I again looked to Pr« f . Baird 

 for assistance, and through his intluence secuiei fi'om 

 the Xavy I)ei»artDient pei'mission t<» use the hydrant 

 water in the Xavy Yard at Washington, and also to put 

 up aparatus for developing the eggs which might be gath- 

 ered by the "Lookout.** 



The assistance which was obtained from the Machine 

 Sho]:>s at the yard enabled us. in a few days, to have a 

 dozen cones runninfi:. which Avas as manv as I thottsrht it 

 necessary to provide, for with these we were prepared to 

 take care of from twelve to eighteen hundied thousand 

 eggs, and I did not hoj>e to have more than this number 

 .on hand at one time. I: must be lx»me in mind that 

 it only required about three days fi'om the time that the 

 eggs were taken for their full development, when they 

 could either l>t- deiK»sited in local waters or transfeiTed 

 to other pjints. leaving the vessels fi-ee to receive ti*esh 

 supplies. As the " "Lookout.** however, gathered from one 

 to two millirm eggs a night dui'ing thl< j»eriod. the appara- 

 tus which was erected was taxed to its utmost capacity, 

 and additional cones were added as fast as they could be 

 manufacttu'ed until, tinally. theii^ number reached forty 

 six exclusive of the half dozen on the h<jw of the * 'Look- 

 out,** which were used as receptacles for the eggs as they 



