340 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



#4 4»/Aff* 



TMsilonrnalis1.be Official Organ of the Fish Cultnr- 

 ists' Association. 



PROF. BAIRD'S REPORT. 



WE continue this week the above excellent report. 

 We Omit the portion referring to the stocking of 

 the California rjvers with salmon as we published it some 

 in. ml Us ago, from notes given us by Prof. Bairtl, Livings- 

 ton Stone and others who were kind enough to remember 

 our journal and its mission. 



PlMl'.Ul.mON OF WHITEFISH IN 1872. 



"The whitefish breeding was begun in the Fall of 1872. 

 Over hull' a million of eggs were placed in the troughs of 

 Mr. i\ r . W*. Clark, an experienced breeder of Clarkson, 

 Mich. These were obtained at Ecorse, on the Detroit 

 River, tlltdugll Hie liberality of Mr. George Clark of that 

 place, with but little expense. On thu 20th of January, 

 1873, about 200,000 eggs, partially develoyed, were shipped 

 to the fish commissioners of California, but did not arrive 

 in good condition, having either smothered from the thiek 

 bed Of sawdust in which the case containing them was 

 plated 01' been killed by the excessive cold. A second Iol 

 of one-halt' the number was shipped to the same destination 

 with excellent success. These were placed by the commis- 

 sioners in a hatching house provided for their reception, 

 and the young fish soon after were put into the waters of 

 Cleat Lake 



The whitefish is of great value, because of the excellent. 

 ri ivor of the tlesh, both fresh and salted, its fecundity, and 

 i he fact that it feeds on Crustacea and other invertebrate 

 forms. It is adapted to the larger and cooler lakes of the 

 Interior, and like the rest of the salmouoids is easily propa- 

 gated artificially. 



PTIOr A CATION OF SHAD IN 1873. 



As shown in the first part of the present report, the shad- 

 hatching season was so far advanced at the time of the 

 of the act making an appropriation for the service 

 m 1873 that little could be done. The appropriation bill 

 containing the item was passed just before the adjourn- 

 ment of Congress, on the 10th of June it was necessary to 

 make sure that the item was included therein before taking 

 any measures that might involve any expense. 



Owing to the eairlier date at which the necessary appro- 

 were made by Congress for the propagation of 

 food fishes, especially of the shad, in 1873, I was enabled 

 to take timely steps looking toward this great interest, the 

 pl.m adopted being to hatch out the fish in the rivers of the 

 Atlantic coast, and to transfer a suitable portion of them 

 to western waters, beginning in the south, and conduct- 

 ing operations farther and farther toward the north as the 

 season advances. 



Entirely ignorant of the best "points where this -work 

 could be carried on, I dispatched Dr. Yarrow on a tour of 

 reconnaissance, and was very much surprised to learn 

 from his report (page 396) that, in consequence of the 

 scarcity of lish, it would be extremely difficult to get 

 enough to experiment upon, farther south than the Neuse. 

 Tbis conclusion was found to be correct, by the subsequent 

 experience of Uie parties entering upon the work. 



The attempt to transfer valuable food fishes from the" 

 Atlantic slope to the Pacific slope in the so called aquarium- 

 car, as well as the unfortunate accident by which the car 

 wiik precipitated from a trestle work into the Elkhorn 

 River Of Nebraska not far from Omaha, have become 

 widely known through the newspapers. The enterprise 

 i int affair between the United States and the State 

 of California, through her commissioners, Messrs. Throck- 

 morton, -Redding, and Far well. 



The car, in charge of Livingston Stone, assistant United 

 Slates commissioner, was ingeniously and very completely 

 fitted up in every detail of necessity and convenience requir- 

 ed for tin: successful transfer of fishes, fobsters, and oysters. 

 It contained in nil nearly 300,000 fishes, representing ilie 

 following species: The tautog, {Tautoga onitti;) Uie black 

 ;.fc.;) the rock fish or striped bass, 

 ■ lie perch, {Pen;/ flmscem;) the wall-eyed 

 pike, (.S'.'/.v ■: ■ ,'..//i<*;)'ihe brook trout, (Balma fonti- 

 I the n 1 1 head. [Amiwua atrarrusf) the catfish, [laie- 

 lurtis C«riilescensj) the eel, (Anguilla iostonieiiis;) besides 

 minnows, yjyprinida ; ) to serve as food for the larger indi- 

 viduals en- route. One hundred and seventy lobsters and a 

 barrel of seed oysters were in the car. 



To accommodate these, one very large tank, and ten 

 smaller ones, besides hogsheads, barrels, and tin cans, 

 liieri. A large amount of ice, and reserves of sea 

 and frerii water, were provided, as well as supplies of food 

 and apparatus for aerating water and regulating tempera- 

 ture. Sleeping and feeding accommodations for attendants 

 were arranged within the car. 



liy the accident, tlie car was thrown into Ihe Elkhorn 

 River, and the fishes had an Opportunity of escape From 

 tne tanks. It is not likely that the lobsters, oysters, or the 

 rautogs, were able to sustain life in the fresh waters of the 

 river for any great length of rime. The rockrUh and the 

 shad are anaorotrjbus fishes, spending a portion of each 

 year In fresh waters, and both have proved their ability to 

 sustain life in fresh waters through several years. The 

 oiliei species are fresb water fishes, and some of them will 

 be valuable acquisitions to the system of waters where fate 

 OS'igned tbem. 



A full account of this expedition and of the accident 

 which interrupted it so suddenly, and from which Mr. 

 i ids companions barely escaped with their lives, 

 found in the hodv of the report, 

 one, having lost the first installment of shad, was 

 directed to return to Albany for the purpose of taking an 

 additional supply; and he again started on tlie 85th Of June, 

 with about 40,p00 li - 1 . . accompanied as far as Omaha by 

 Mr. YVcUher. 1 am happy to state that they experienced 

 scaeely any mortality on the way, and after placing 5,000 

 tish in" the Jordan River, a tributary of the Grant Bait 

 Lake, on the 30th of June, he deposited S5y000 in the Sac- 

 on July 2, in the presence of the California corn- 

 era, and to their very great satisfaction. This num- 

 ber of young fish in the Sacramento River, to be increased, 

 I hope, hereafter, will very probably result in supplying 



ml stream with this useful food fish, and will furnish a 



point Of departure from which to stock the Columbia and 



Other more northern livers, as contemplated by act of 



Experience has shown that it will be impossible 



to take young shad from the east over a greater distance 

 than the Pacific Railroad will carry , them ; and until the 

 northern line, or the coast line from California to Oregon, 

 is completed, it will be worth while to spend our efforts in 

 that direction. 



In order to have a still greater supply of youug shad for 

 the purposes of the commission, an arrangement w T as made 

 with the Connecticut commissioners to enlarge their opera- 

 tiots at Dudley Falls, the. increased expense being borne out 

 of the appropriation made by Hie United States.' This was 

 accordingly done, and Mr, Milncr. and Mr, Mason were en- 

 abled, after the season had closed farther south, to obtain 

 all the young shad they could attend to during the remain- 

 der of the season. 



A deposit in Ihe Malta Witmkeng, a tributary of the Pen- 

 obscot, was made at the urgent "request of the commis- 

 sioners of Maine. 



Mr, Milner and Mr. Mason next proceeded lo Topsharn, 

 Me., on the Androscoggin, with a view of ascertaining 

 Whether ripe eggs could be obtained in sufficient numbers 

 for shad hatching purposes. They found, however, that, 

 owing to the lateness of the season and the scarcity of the 

 fish themselves, nothing could be done; and it is thought 

 not improbable that the restoration of shad to the rivers of 

 Maine will be done most, easily by transferring the spawn 

 from the Connecticut, or from the Merrimack', should the 

 commissioners of Massachusetts exhibit the same liberality 

 that has been shown by those, of Connecticut. Returning 

 from Maine, they proceeded again to the Connecticut ami 

 the Dudson, continuing their labors in the way of transfer- 

 ring of young fish. Their work finally closed on the 24lh 

 day of July. 



An accompanying table gives the statistics of the work ac- 

 tuallv accomplished in transferring shad to western waters. 

 The aggregate of nearly a million is certainly likely to pro- 

 duce a market effect; and if similar efforts are made in suc- 

 cessive years, Which I trust will be the ccse, then: is every 

 reason to expect the accomplishment of the object in view. 

 The information in this and other tables, as to the entire 

 number of shad and salmon hatched in the United Stales 

 to date will not be without interest. 



The very valuable report by Mr. Milncr, gives the details 

 of his operations, and embraces numerous very valuable 

 suggestions in regard to the transportation and treatment 

 of shad, which will servo an important purpose in future 

 operations. 



During the present season, as in the past, I have great 

 pleasure in acknowledging Ihe help rendered by many 

 persons, not only by the Slate commissioners, (especially 

 those of New York and Connecticut,) in supplying young 

 lish from States where the United States had no hatching- 

 house, but also by the part of officers of railroad and ex- 

 press companies. Most of these are mentioned hereafter. 



It had been contemplated to carry on hatching opera- 

 tions on the Rappahannock River, where the shad were 

 believed to lie very abundant, and where, it was thought, a 

 large number of eggs might be obtained and transferred to 

 the West. The most suitable point On this river was some 

 distance below Frederieksburgii; and at Mr. Green's sug- 

 gestion I applied I o the Governor of Virginia, asking the 

 loan of one of the State fishing steamers lor my aid, which 

 was promptly acceded to, and I was informed that the 

 Steamer Tredegar, in command of Capt. Orris A. Browne, 

 would be at my service tit any lime after the 1st of May. 

 It; however, was found impossible to occupy more than 

 two stations at a lime, owing to the small Jerce at my 

 command, and When the experiment at Weldou was given 

 up, and Messrs. Welsher and Green proceeded to the Rap- 

 pahannock, they found the season had passed, and that no 

 success was possible. Another year it maybe expedient to 

 commence operations on this river, especially in view of 

 the fact that it affords a convenient point from which to 

 transfer the young fish to West A r irgiuia, Kentucky and 

 Tenneseee." 



■»■«• 



Cakp. — J. A. Foppe made his first shipment of carp to 

 Sau Francisco on Wednesday last— two .hundred in num- 

 ber. The largest weighed ten pounds. They were shipped 

 in oak tanks, "cone-shaped, holding fifty gallons of water 

 and a hundred tish each. Some of the fish escaped from 

 the ponds during the storm, and may possibly .stock Sono- 

 ma Creek with the European stranger.— Santa Bum, (Cat.) 

 Dec. 12th. 



Those carp are the product of five grown fish brought 

 by Mr. Roppe from Hamburg four years since. Their re- 

 markable fecundity should encourage their introduction 

 into ol her waters of the United States. Ed. F. & S. 



—Prof. Balrd, United States Commissioner of Fish and 

 Fisheries, stales that he is now perfecting arrangements by 

 which lie expects next season to hatch out an immense 

 number of shad in all the principal streams Bowing into 

 the Atlantic, beginning on the coast of Florida early in 

 March, and winding up with the Connecticut River in 

 August. _^_ 



TROUT vs. SAWDUST. 



rreEn l'iiiK, m„ DeoeinDei W, I8H, 



Eueroa Forest a.nii Stream:— 



Three Summers ago I was advised to try (lie upper part of one of our 

 boat trout streams, willed Beep Creek, and was told thai there was good 

 fishing; so it was supposed, for the bnuks of Ihe creek were so rough 

 that no uiie would Hike Ihe trouble to go there. I luul often been .above 

 and betmv this place on other branches, but never mere: bill one lovel) 

 June morning a friend and myself started for this apparently uunshed 

 region. We soon got to work and fished for about three miles, but had 

 very poor leek, and soon left the stream and started for the placet have 

 spoken of, which was below us. The creek there is nearly sixty feet 

 wide and very deep in places, and is formed by the union of three large 

 forks, one of which is used by fl steam saw mill (about a mile away) lo 

 furnish water for the *-n-inc. and lo carry away Ihe oak, pine, spruce and 

 hemlock sawdust. 



Some of Ibis dust is caught by abend in the creek above the placewhere 

 they meet, but the target (lorfitw goes down the ma!n stream. We fished 

 three mile but did notgeta bite, and altli ooj e tiled It often 



since then, I have never bad" a rise, nor has any one I that 1 have ever 

 heard of. 1 have had good luck above this, but not below. It 

 seems a great pity ; but Ibis le only one of many of our best streams that 

 are ruined in Ihe same way. Our streams were lined by the soldiers 

 during Ihe war, and are just beginning to recover, or at least they 

 would, if it«erenotforthew»r of extermination that is waged against 



I met a fisherman last. Summer who hudjnst returned from a fishing 

 trip and asked what luck ho bad. "I've gatWQ," said he. After a few 

 days I met him again and asked what his flsh welghed-*ta pounds 

 alltogether. 



AUEOHAST. 



Editob Forest 



Tell Seth Gree 



bucket for carryi 



top, about, one ir 



WA 



t llui, Ky., December 89, 1674. 



usport his fish in air right cons. ITiave used a 



IW .. list! I '. BOtfsfc Soted Je follows. A falsu 



u the top of the bucket, with a ronnd holo about 



fifth being left tot sir, \ soft cloth is laid round the edge of the hole, 

 ivhjchhasi tight rttrjng ping, making it absolutely air tight. Before 

 starting, and ten or fifteen minutes after handling the fish, the water 

 should lie changed, as fish, under the Influence Of fright, empty them- 

 selves of excrement, making the water very foul. This arrangement, 

 only holds good while in motion, and the more violent the motion the 

 hotter for the minnows. The nir being confined, ia rapidly forcedlnto 

 the water by the violent churning motion. I have carried a bucket of 

 this kind for miles, on a hot day in July, crowded wilh minnows, wrhout 

 the IcEtj ..I a Angle "no. In an open bucket it would have been ueces- 

 saiy to change the water half a dozen tunes, with probably the loss of 

 half the minnows. 1 would suggest an arrangement at the bottom of 

 the car tor drawing off u little water occasionally and discharging sedi- 

 meut. At sea tbis water could be filtered and returned to cans. Tlie 

 caps should lie laised ocnistonallj ', to admit fresh air and regulate tem- 

 perutnrc with ice. Yours, T. J. CORLB, 



/: 



\ntmnl t§istorg. 



Faxtna op Eastern Floiuda. — The following quad- 

 rupeds and birds have been observed in Eastern Florida, 

 but the presence of the latter is only noted in Spring and 

 Winter ; at least we have received no account of the fact 

 that they are regular denizens. The quadruped embrace 

 the Felix Con&Aor or Panther, common in the unsettled 

 part of the State ; the Lynx Bafa.% also abundant ; the 

 Oanis Lvpux or Gray Wolf ; some nearly black, is rather 

 scarce ; the Vulpus Vtrgiriiantis or Gray fox, is abundant, 

 also the Procyon Lotor or Raccoon, the VrsuS Arclos or 

 Common Bear, and the Cariacus Virginianus or Virginia 

 Deer; this is of a very small size. The Seiunts Mger or 

 Southern Fox Squirrel, is abundant but is confined to pine 

 woods; also the Sciurux Carolinenxis or Gray Squirrel, which 

 is very tame. The Lepux SyUaticus or Gray Rabbit j the 

 Ltptix Palustiis or Marsh Rabbit, and the Didelphyx Yir- 

 giniana or Opossum are quite common. 



The birds include the Meleagrix ffaUopazo or Wild Tur- 

 key, which is very numerous ; males often weigh twenty- 

 live' pounds ; females six to ten pounds; the O/'tyx Vir- 

 ginianux or Quail; very abundant; the Sjuartarola Hel- 

 vetica or Black-billed Plover ; the Chnradrias Virginkus or 

 Golden Plover; the JEgialiiiz Yociferus or Kildeer Plover; the 

 JEgiidilis Wilswtius or Wilson Plover, and the MjiaMtts Melo- 

 (Hits or Piping Plover. The plover were seen only in Spring. 

 The Phihhela Minor or Woodcock, is not common but the 

 Gallinago Wilnord or Snipe is. The latter go in large flocks 

 and cover the whole country. The Red-breasted Snipe; 

 the Symphemi.t Sci/iipnhnnf", or Willet; the Oambetla Fla- 

 ■vipex or Yellow Legs; the Gwmbetta MelanoUnca or Greater 

 Yellow Legs ; Simotsd Fcdoa or Marbled Goodwits are 

 also common. The JNumemeut Mudsamcm or Iludsonian 

 Curlew, and the Xumenieits Buvcaiis or Esquimaux Curlew 

 are rare, but the Xumenieas Longerostrk or Long-bill Cur- 

 lew ; the Jlinianlopus Xigercollis or Black-neck Stilt ; the 

 Rails aud Galanules, and the Herons, Cranes and Ibis, are 

 abundant ; the Anas Boschis or Mallard, is very abundant, 

 also the Annus Obscwa or Black Duck ; the latter thick has 

 a lighter color ; its neck is more like a female Mallard, and 

 it is said to breed in Florida. The Dafila Acuta or Pintail ; 

 the Ndfyn OaTrtinentb or Green Wingtail; the Qiterquedula 

 Siscors or Blue Wingtail ; the Spatula Clypeata or " Shove- 

 ler;" the Marcca Americana or Baldpate ; the Aix Spoma 

 or Wood Duck ; the Fulc.v Mania or Scaup Duck ; the 

 Aythya- Americana or Red Head ; the Aythya VaBixneria or 

 Canvass-back ; the BacephaM Albeola or Butter-hall ; the 

 Erimatwa Rubida or Ruddy Duck: the Sophodytts Cuculla- 

 tut or Hooded Merganser, and the Canada Goose are all 

 abundant; the latter especially in the northwestern portion 



of the State. 



■+*+■ 



Blue-Backed Tkout.— We learn from gentlemen in 

 wdiose knowledge we have confidence, that the Blue-back 

 Trout of Kangely, Maine, arc found in Twin Lakes, Colo- 

 rado. Can any one verify the statemeut? 



. ^.•a- 



DISEASED LIVER IN DEER. 



Bmcit Camp, Long Prairie. Minn,, I 



December 15, 1871. ( 



ElllTOR FOUEST ANll STRE.Ur:— 



uu several occasions I have round parasites in the stomachs of the 

 CereiUm, but. have never found any like those which I have lately discov- 

 ered in the leer ol ' C. Vtiyiiuanus, or lied Deer. On the -.9di of last 

 November I killed an unusually large doe, which was fat aid apparently 

 in a healthy condition. She was passing me like a Bhoi when 1 fired at 

 her. making leaps five end six paces long. When receiving my ball she 

 plowed some fifteen fee! through the snow, and fell against, a log with 

 great force, yet when I reucheu tier she reared OP on her legs and struck 

 at me fiercely with her feet, and I was forced to kill her, alter having 

 waited about three minutes for her to die. When the doe was dead I 

 dressed her, anil put the carcass iu shape for freezing, so it might be more 

 easily packed into camp. The liver and heart 1 covered with SHOW, and 

 . ,,, .,- if to keep away the wolves. I nbseived that the gall of 

 the doe was wanting, nnd the following day I examined the liver, heart, 

 lungs and stomach closely. I found the liver was urawn out of shape, 

 and contained about twenty laige leech like worms, which were about 

 two inches long and ttrce-u.iiarters of an inch wide. They were encased 

 in cells of gristle Of a whitish color. In gome cells but one worm was 

 found, but in many cases several were found iu one cell. When taken 

 from the liver these parasites bad their sides folded over to the cenlie 

 of the body, giving them a round appearance, but when taken iu the 

 hand Ibev unfolded" themselves aud assumed an ovate form about one- 

 eighth of an inch in thickness. 1 found them in different stages, from 

 the embryo lo the full grown worm. On the morning of December 12th 

 1 killed a large buck, which had just dropped his noma. (An unusual 

 thing so earl v in the season.,! He was poor, bat. that was owing to the 

 fact that the'rutting season w as just over. Having wounded the buck, I 

 put the dog on bis track, and he soon brought him to bay. Now this 

 samedo" has had several good poundings lately by wounded deer, aud 

 he respects their hoofs accordingly. While encouraging the dog to face 



