TRANSFERENCE OF BLACK BASS. I57' 



provided by the Territorial legislature for tliis venture. Tlie fisli were- 

 secured at Seabrools:, Texas, and two weeks were spent in experimenting 

 on conditions under which they could be transported through this long 

 distance. It was proved that they could not successfully be iced and 

 carried at a low temperature, a method which is usually most satisfactory, 

 but that at a temperature of 23° they could be kept in ordinary milk 

 cans with but little trouble. 



On September 4, 1905, I left Seabrook, Texas, for Honolulu, with 

 six 38-liter milk cans and 75 top minnows in each can. By adhering 

 to the following routine, but little difficulty was experienced in the 

 transportation of the fish. At 8 o'clock in the morning the fish were 

 fed sparingly on prepared fish food, finely ground liver or hard-boiled 

 eggs ;- at 9.30 half the water in each can ^vas siphoned from the bottom, 

 thus cleaning out the can and removing all uneaten food and excre- 

 ment, and an equal amount of fresh water was added. At noon, all 

 the cans were aerated by means of a large bicycle, pump, a sponge 

 being tied over the hose to separate the air into Aire particles. At 

 4 o'clock in the afternoon 8 liters of water were siphoned from the 

 bottom of the cans and fresh water added; and late in the evening 

 the cans were again aerated. At each place where the water was changed 

 it was first tested by placing two fresh fish in a bucket containing the 

 new water at the proper temperature. 



Twelve fish died between Galveston, Texas, and San Francisco, Cali- 

 fornia, and fifteen between San Francisco and Honolulu. I landed in 

 Honolulu from the steamship Alameda on September 15, 1905, after a 

 twelve days' trip from Texas. Only 27 of the 450 fish were lost. They 

 were in good condition when they arri\'ed and were at once transplanted 

 to small breeding ponds which had already been prepared for them, 

 and they at once began work on the mosquito larvas. There was but 

 0.56° difference between the natural temperature of tire water at Sea- 

 brook and that at Honolulu. 



At the present time, these fish have multiplied to such an extent that 

 there are now several hundred thousand of them and they have been 

 distributed to all the large islands and have very perceptibly diminished 

 the mosquito pest, as is evidence by the following statement quoted 

 from a letter from the governor of Hawaii written on May 23, 1910 : 



* * * I am glad to state that top minnows have been a decided success 

 here. They were introduced, I believe, about six years or so ago, and have been 

 placed in all the different districts of this island and in a number of places on 

 the other islands. They have multiplied rapidly and the streams and ponds 

 about Honolulu are full of them. I understand that in some cases where ponds 

 have swarmed with the larvse of mosquitoes, the top minnows have entirely 

 cleaned them out within a few days after their introduction. At Waimanalo, 

 on this island, where mosquitoes were usually plentiful, there are now scarcely 



' It would be better to feed every third day. 



