FOREST AND STREAM 
19 
m. A change in the law relative to quail opened the 
son October 1st, twenty days earlier than usual, and, 
tough many bevies were seen during the breeding sca- 
, very lew have been killed. A great many excursions 
) the country have been made by city sportsmen, who 
e almost invariably met with very poor success. The 
of 1874 prohibited, for three years, the shooting of 
11 in the counties of Wayne, Genesee, Orleans, and 
gara, and the result has been highly beneficial. In one 
hese counties these beautiful little game birds have in- 
.ised in a most gratifying manner. A general applica¬ 
tion of this prohibitoiy law over the entire State would so 
increase the stock of quail that the shooting would be good 
for years to come, in their present depleted condition, the 
bagging of eveu half a dozen birds is a matter of great 
labor and uncertainty, the tired and disgusted sportsmen 
oftener returning empty-handed. In view of their scarcity, 
it is a singular tact that a small bevy appeared in one of 
our pulilie squares last October, and remained scattered in 
the vicinity for several days. A woodcock also, during 
the entire hummer, paid bis respects daily to a little clump 
of willows growing on the river bank in the very heart of 
the city. 
The fall flight of snipe and duelc was good, but plover 
were unusually scarce, hardly a bird being seen where 
hundreds are •generally killed. Duck shooting was excel¬ 
lent in localities where legitimate sport has not been ruined 
by those. iufamo.'.s contrivances, floating batteries. A few 
years ago Uayuga Luke, Seneca River, and the extensive 
Montezuma marshes contiguous thereto, fairly swarmed 
with duck, and was the favorite resort of sportsmen who 
traveled long distances to enjoy it, but the introduction of 
batteries has utterly destroyed the sport. The greater por¬ 
tion of the birds are driven away to other feeding grounds, 
and the remainder are rendered so frightfully wild that 
they will not- decoy, and cannot be shot. Thus do sports¬ 
men at large suffer by the villainous avarice of a few con¬ 
temptible market shooters, With their diabolical batteries. 
The extinction of these, and the extension of the close 
season for woodcock, is a consummation most devoutly to 
be wished. Agate. 
liac/mier, New Torlc, January 8th, 1876. 
ABSTRACT OF THE FIRST REPORT OF 
THE STATE FISH COMMISSIONERS 
OF IOWA. 
A T the last session of the legislature an Act was passed, 
creating the present Board of Commissioners, and 
another one appropriating three thousand dollars to advance 
the interests of fish culture in the State of Iowa. With 
this authority the Commissioners set to work to restore 
what had been lost, and to enrich the waters of Iowa with 
new species of fish. 
Since the last session of the legislature, the laws enacted 
previous to 1874, and the laws enacted by the legislature iu 
question, have beou carried out and enforced to the lull 
extent, or bo far as the Commissioners could influence their 
operation and, use their power. The consequence is that 
in many of the fish streams of the State there has been a 
marked increase of food fishes, and a general disposition on 
the part of the people to support the law. Fishways have 
been constructed, as will be shown hereafter; and many 
ciiizens have been so much interested as to start fish ponds 
of their own under the advice of the Commissioners. 
With the small appropriation of three thousand dollars, 
a hatching-house, 20x40 feet, two stories high, has been 
erected near Auamosa, in Jones County, under the super¬ 
vision of Mr. Shaw, one of the Commissioners, With that 
three thousand dollars the liatching-house has been erected, 
an assistant hired and paid, all the expenses have been 
paid, and a great number of fish have been distributed; 
and this day the property owned by the State is worth the 
amount of the appropriation expended. 
The last General Assembly enacted a law requiring all 
dams erected after the passage of the Act to have con¬ 
structed fish ways under the supervision of the Commis¬ 
sioners. So far, the law has beta complied with, and fish¬ 
ways have been constructed according to the plans pro¬ 
vided by the Commissioners. 
Section 2, chapter 60, requires the Commissioners to ex* 
amine and report iu regard to the comparative cost and 
value of the various improved fishways. So great a va¬ 
riety of opinion prevails in regard to the merits of the 
various fishways, even among the best authorities, and the 
matter is of so vital importance to the fish interests of 
Iowa, that they have been unable fully to determine in re¬ 
gard to the adoption of any one of them, until they have 
more fully investigated tire subject. A favorable opportu¬ 
nity for this purpose is looked for at the meetings of the 
International Association for the Protection of Game and 
Fish, this coming winter. This organization numbers sev¬ 
eral hundred persons, among whom are the iqost eminent 
fish eulturists, scientific persons, Commissioners, and other 
gentlemen interested in the propagation of game and" fish. 
It has the approval and support of the Smithsonian and 
other leading institutions of this country, and will bring to 
the discussion of the subject an experience gathered from 
every Stale in the Union. The cost of fishways in Iowa 
varies with the different kinds, the height of fall, amount 
of water, character of dam, and other circumstances from 
fifty to one thousand dollars. 
The Commissioner’s first duty after organizing was to 
proceed with the erection of a hatching-house at Anamosa 
on the Wapsee River, which would be in everyway suit¬ 
able for the proposed operations, which was" placed in 
charge of Mr. G. F. Slocum, who has had charge of the 
house ever since it commenced running, and has most ef¬ 
ficiently performed his duties. The total amount of spawn 
handled and fish distributed in the State, and spawn and 
fish on hand for. distribution at the time of making this 
report is as follows: Shad in Des Moines river, June, 1874, 
100,000; Iowa varieties, distributed 1874, 20,000: Califor¬ 
nia salmon, 1874, 300,000; Penobscot salmon, 1876, 80,- 
000; brook trout, 1875, 1,000; shad in Des Moines river, 
June, 1876, 90,000; Iowa varieties, distributed 1875, 5,000; 
California salmon on hand, 300,000; lake trout on hand, 
835,000; white-fish on hand, 25,000; lake trout eggs Bent 
to Decorah, 100,000, making a total of 1,856.000. 
From the United States Fish Commissioners have been 
received, 600,000 California; 80,000 Penobscot, and 5,000 
land-locked salmon spawn, as we understood it, gratui¬ 
tously, and a comparison is drawn showing what these eggs 
would have cost had they been purchased. To the various 
railroads the Commissioners are also under obligations for 
kind attention from officers and employees while traveling 
with young fish and spawn. 
To continue the work already commenced efficiently; 
and to introduce such varieties from the East as would re¬ 
quire to he transported in aquariums, such as eels, smelt, 
uiewives, etc.; to save from loss and plant in our inland 
streams and in the Mississippi, and utilize the millions of 
yoling fish lhat are annually destroyed; and to place Iowa 
in pisciculture, as she is iu many other things, in the front 
ranks, w T ouid require an appropriation of $15,000, the same 
as given by Michigan, New York, and other States, and the 
Commissioners ask an appropriation of not less than $10,- 
000 . 
Of the California salmon placed in the waters of the 
State the Commissioners are constantly receiving favora¬ 
ble reports, and they quote a number of letters from per¬ 
sons who have observed them. Of their success with the 
fish they entertain no doubt, and their value to Iowa will 
be incalculable. 
Brook trout are found in the northeastern part of Iowa, 
but persistent fishing by unlawful methods has so deci¬ 
mated them that large baskets are very rare. A few spawn 
have been hatched and placed in a stream near Anamosa, 
where, should they thrive, spawn can be taken from them 
and placed in many good trout streams of Iowa. 
The Commissioners have received, and successfully 
hatched and distributed 80,000 eggs of the Salmo salar, re¬ 
garding their success with which the Commissioners are 
doubtful. It is thought possible, however, that confined 
to their inland lakes, they may assume the characteristics 
of land-locked salmon. These latter fish are thought to 
be particularly adapted to Iowa waters; 5,000 eggs' were 
secured and hatched, but in two weeks after hatching they 
were attacked with dropsy of the food sack and every one 
died. The next effort, which will be on a larger Beale, 
will probably more successful. 
The commission made an effort to procure spawn of the 
lake or salmon trout, last year, which proved unavailing, 
as it was too late iu the season before it was possible to 
make the effort. This season another effort proved more 
effective, and enabled the Superintendent to lay down in 
the hatching-house at Anamosa, 835,000 eggs, and to send 
100,000 eggs to the Northern Iowa Piscatorial Association, 
at Decorah, where they are to be hatched out and dis¬ 
tributed. 
The Commissioners have now 50,000 white-fish spawn iu 
the hatching-house, so far advanced that Lheir eyes can be 
plainly seen. 
The Commissioners have used their influence with the 
United States Commissioners in having 190,000 young shad 
placed iu the Des Moines-river, from which it is expected 
to have a supply of spawn. Three years ago, 22,000 
shad were put into the Mississippi river at the falls of Kt. 
Anthony. A two-year-old one was caught last season at 
Clinton, Iowa, and two others have been caught at differ¬ 
ent points in the Mississippi river this season; proving at 
least lhat some of them are still living, and it is confidently 
hoped that next year, the season of their anticipated return, 
may prove the success of shad culture in Western rivers. 
There are two distinct varieties of wall, or glass eyed pike, 
or pike-perch In Iowa waters; one called Jack salmon, the 
most common and very abundant, especially in Spirit and 
other northwestern lakes, ife never caught of more than 
four or five pounds weight; while the large yellow wall-eye 
has been caught weighing twenty pounds. They are fine 
flavored, predatory in their habits, multiply much more 
rapidly than the black bass, but are not so generally adapted 
to all character of waters, are worthy of attention for suit¬ 
able waters, and oan be had from the sloughs of the Mis¬ 
sissippi, as suggested iu regard to other varieties, at proper 
seasons of the year. 
The black bass is a native of Iowa, and is found in 
almost every stream of any size, although of late years, 
owing to the want of prolectiou laws, and the barbarous 
habit of catching these fish in large numbers, just before 
and during their spawning season, they have been nearly 
exterminated in some of the smaller streams, and terribly 
thinned out in some of the larger ones.- 
The difficulty in artificially propogating this fish is of 
but little moment in Iowa, as they have them in millions 
hatched and ready for transportation to any waters It is 
thought advisable to stock with them. 
The cel, the cat-fish, and the pickerel are all abundant 
in Iowa waters, but the latter is looked upon as a fresh 
water shark, and their extermination is suggested that their 
places may be filled with better fish. 
Considering the small amount of the appropriation at 
their command the lowa.Commissioners have accomplished 
a great deal, and their report is filled with valuable and 
interesting matter pertaining to fish culture, and is worthy 
of perusal by every citizen of the State. It is to be hoped 
that the appropriation tiBked for will be made at the next 
session of the legislature that their work of usefulness 
may be extended and completed. 
^ HATCHING FISH EGGS IN BULK. 
R EADERS of Forest and Stream will remember 
that after my failure to get young shad Vo Germany, 
I suggested hatching them at sea, and made drawiugs of 
cans for that purpose, which appeared in this paper of 
February 4th, 1875, and also in the Live Stock Journal. 
At the request of Prof. Baird that can was tiled this 
past summer, but did not work on account of the screen 
being so large (15 inches in diumeter), In proportion to the 
necessarily small flow of water through a half-inch pipe. 
There was not force enough to move the eggs from the 
screen, and to flow more water would increase the labor of 
returning it to the reservoir too much; The can was then 
reduced to six inches in diameter, when it worked much 
better, hut still far from perfect. It was about the 1st of 
July when my assistant, the late Charles Bell, suggested 
the change shown in the accompanying cut. ' 
We had one made, and it worked to a charm. The 
original can had a screen at the top of the funnel, and then 
a cylinder above. This one in place of the cylinder lias a 
rim of wire cloth enclosed in an outside flange of tin, 
which receives the water, and the bottom screen iB placed 
where the funnel is only an inch and a half in diamoter, on 
which the eggs could never rest as they were carried up in 
a central column which pp.rt.ed on every side to slowly fall 
in lines parallel to the funnel, until they again were 
brought in contact with the upward flow. It worked per¬ 
fectly, and was afterward taken to Holyoke, Mass., where 
it was put up in the wash room, and a fuff account of the 
experiment concerning temperature, flow of water, time of 
hatching, etc., given to Mr. James W. Milner. A shad 
egg may require motion as well as circulation, and this the 
hrst can did not give. I thiuk motion is required, because 
we flowed the same amount of water through, each, and 
the old can would, only accomitiodate as many eggs as 
could lie upon the* screen, probably eight thousand, for 
which there was plenty of oxygen, yet hut very few 
hatched, while Ihe new one can he filled nearly full, as no 
eggs lie upon l he screen. This can may possibly be used 
for the eggs of other fishes besides shad, and so hatch 
many eggs in a small space, if the force of water is pro¬ 
portioned to the weight of the eggs. Iu our trials we were 
iiiplted to the quantity of water that one man could handle 
in six hours, for it was used over and again, just as we 
would have to do ou a sea voyage, but it was too late in 
the seasou to get eggs when the announcement was made 
lhat the experiment was complete, and we were ready. 
Fred Mather. 
^iturnl j§istorg. 
[This Department is now under the charys of a competent Xaturallst, 
Indorsed by the Smithsonian Institution, and will henceforth be made a 
speeUtl feature of this i taper. AU uotrimunfottffan*, notes, queries, re- 
tnarks, and seasonal observations wlU I'eceicareful attention .] 
AN INVITATION. 
N O part, of ornithology has excited more interest of late 
Ilian that which pertains to the migrations of birds; 
aDd one of the first results of the agitation of the question 
lias been the discovevy of how little we know, not only in 
some cases, of the very fact of migration, but also of what 
causes lead birds to unitedly move from one region to an¬ 
other at distinct times. Accurate and numerous observa¬ 
tions are needed upon the dates of arrival, departure, uest- 
building, varying abundance, and other events in the Hie 
of birds collected over wide areas and through successive 
seasons. And these observations would be of still greater 
valuq if accompanied by parallel notes upon the weather, 
the prevailing direction and character of the winds, the 
aifpearance Of such auimalB and insects as are known, and 
the fioworirig^oi' trees and plants. Iu short it Is desirable, 
i order to know what influences act with most power up¬ 
on the migrations of birds, to know the circumstances and 
conditions under which they are most likely to lib present 
at any giveu point, atul those under whioh they are found 
to be absent. Sometimes the northward march is delayed 
beyond the usual time, as in the Spring, of 1874. What 
was tbs difference belwtm that and the previous Spring, 
when the birds came earlier! It is a popular idea among 
the country people that most birds, and many animals, are 
able to perceive coming weather, and Tegulate their move¬ 
ments iu accordance with thiB knowledge. Do careful ob¬ 
servations bear out this notion as true, or disprove it! The 
United States Signal Service now advises us of the slate 
of the weather in all parts of the country. It would he a 
great thing if, by the aid of these reports, we could learn 
to trace a constant connection between changes in.the at¬ 
mosphere and temperature, forseeu by them, and the 
movements of the birds on sea and land. 
This knowledge can only be gained by keeping our eyes 
open, and our note-books ready. Gilbert White, of Si l- 
borne, kept a “Naturalist’s Calendar," -whioh is a model 
