I 1 8 REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONERS OF 



In my report of a year ago, mention was made of the satisfactory results attending 

 the breeding of the Mongolian or ring-necked pheasants, carried on in connection 

 with the Pleasant Valley Hatchery, near Bath, Steuben county. 



The past year the work has been continued as far as the limited space on the 

 grounds would permit. Having no special appropriation for this work, it has not been 

 pushed as far as recent results would warrant. From a dozen birds in the spring of 

 1897, the flock has increased to 180 fine, healthy birds at the present time. This 

 fully warrants the Commission asking for an appropriation to carry on the work. It 

 does not come directly under the Hatchery Department, but the work has been 

 directed by Commissioner Babcock, chairman of the committee having charge of that 

 branch of the work. 



For the past year the pheasantry has been one of the great attractions for the 

 numerous visitors to the Pleasant Valley Hatchery grounds. 



The mascalonge hatching is carried on at Bemus Point, on Chautauqua Lake. It 

 was here that these fish were first hatched artificially by the old Fish Commission of 

 the State of New York. 



Hatching mascalonge eggs has always been done in boxes with a double wire 

 screen top and bottom, and arranged in the lake. The State owns a storehouse at the 

 point conveniently located, in which all the bulky appliances for carrying on the work 

 are stored. This building is also the headquarters of the men during the hatching 

 season, which lasts about six weeks. 



Until the past season, it had been considered impossible to successfully hatch 

 mascalonge eggs in any way except in the boxes mentioned. A lack of water at the 

 proper elevation permitted of our operating only a few of the glass jars, but they 

 demonstrated what could be done. The experiment was highly successful, and it is 

 perfectly safe to say that with a hatching house properly equipped the annual output 

 of fry can be doubled. This is important, as the growing scarcity of mascalonge in 

 the St. Lawrence River has been apparent for some time. 



Your Commission is the only Fish Commission (the Wisconsin Commission 

 excepted) that makes provisions for the artificial propagation of mascalonge. 



Experiments in rearing the fry in confinement were also made during the past 

 season. The fry were hatched on the nineteenth day of May and placed in a small 

 artificial pond. They were removed from the pond on the nineteenth day of August, 

 having attained the length of four and four and one-half inches. We could not keep 

 them in the pond longer, as, owing to dry weather, the water supply failed on the 

 date last above mentioned. 



The fishing in Chautauqua Lake for mascalonge and black bass cannot be excelled 

 in any other lake of our State. This is entirely due to the disposition on the part of 



