48 



FOREST AM) STREAM. 



tera the lateral stigmata, and is expelled by thcui again, 

 the current in and out alternating. If the fish is held 

 partly out of water so that one series of the stigmata are 

 exposed and the other beneath the water, the respiratory 

 currents will be seen passing into the submerged orifices, 

 and lushing from the exposed ones with force. This inter- 

 esting process was investigated thoroughly by Mr. Z. Coup 

 in his vigils, as the creatures fastened upon his hand at va- 

 rious times, thus varying the monotony of the trip by prac- 

 tical scientific investigation. 



The gill sacks of this curious creature are supported by 

 what we might call a "cartiliginous basket," and is a firm 

 but elastic framework of cartilage, perforated by numerous 

 wide interstices, in addition to the seven on each side for 

 the gill openings, which are then seen, each surrounded by 

 its owd cartilaginous ring. The basket is suspended by 

 about seven pairs of cartilages to the fore parts of the spi- 

 nal chord, and occupies most of the diameter of the fish. 

 Their cartilaginous plates exist in the fi'jrous sheath of the 

 spinal chord itself, and a broad, heart-shaped cartilaginous 

 plate of the skull covers the suctorial mouth, and various 

 cartilagiuous processes supports the large "toolh-bearing 

 tongue." If we place the creature in spirits the teeth 

 readily flake off in cap-shaped layers, leaving a compara- 

 tively soft conical nucleus, and furnishing, as Mr. J. Ham- 

 ilton stated to a few scientific friends around the tank, 

 abundance evidence of the vmco dermoid origiu of these 

 organs in the Dermopteres. It is also Mr. Hamilton's opin- 

 ion that the labial, palatine and lingual loelh of the differ- 

 ent Petromyzontid* supply the generic characters of the va- 

 rious groups that compose this most interesting family. 

 The eye of this fish is provided with a wonderful array of 

 muscles for affecting its various movements, and the mem- 

 branous vestibule connected with the organs of hearing is 

 well worthy a careful examination by the student- and in 

 fact the whole acoslical arrangement is interesting from its 

 peculiar homology to that of some of the crustaceous or 

 cephalopode molluscs. 



Some members of this family pass through a change 

 similar to that of the tadpole. If the roe is watched un- 

 til hatched, and preserved until the following year, the 

 transformation can be seen, and in ten days the adults and 

 and complete fish is produced. There is no increase of 

 size, but in that time the respiratory pharnygeal tube is 

 formed, teeth are evolved, the valve or velum in the mouth 

 disappears, the intestinal canal is sensibly obliterated, and 

 the roe, which was previously transparent, becomes 

 opaque. The eye does not appear uniil more than six 

 weeks have ensued after hatching, it being buried beneath 

 the skin during this interval. The sea or salt water Lam- 

 prey is much more common, and resemble our common eel 

 in many ways. At a recent diuner this fish honoied the 

 head of the table, and when properly Eerved deserves its 

 reputation, that of being so choice that Henry I. died from 

 bis love of it. In the spring they are the finest, and should 

 be drowned in Cretan wine, a nutrnegplaeed in the mouth, 

 a ciove in each gill opening, then rolled spirally in the 

 flour of filbert nuts and crumbs of bread mixed with oil, 

 spices and Cretan wine, and finally boiled carefully in a 

 cloth, and you have a dish in reality fit for a king. 



In the small tanks a daily performance is going on that 

 is quite interesting in the way of an increase, by the bud- 

 ding process of the sea ammonies. Minute atoms of red 

 matter can be seen in all stages of separation from the 

 mother base, and in a day or two delicate hair-like tentacu- 

 laj will be seen moving to and fro in theii iufantile attempts 

 at producing circulation, and iu a short space of time we 

 have a full fledged actinia. Hundreds of these cieatures 

 are being produced daily, and will well repay the visitor 

 for a close sciutiny. Among other curiosities aie some of 

 the snakes(?) that formed a part of the last ' shower of 

 reptiles iu North Carolina." They are small, hair-like an- 

 imals, undoubtedly a parasitic worm infesting streams and 

 ponds, arid could be easily caught up by a strong wind, al- 

 though their vast numbers are unaccountable. Mr. Hob 

 erls has found them in the viscera of common striped bass, 

 and they probably infest many of the fresh water fish, and 

 those of migratory habits. A. P. C. 



ABSTRACT OF THE THIRD ANNUAL, 

 REPORT OF THE FISH COMMIS- 

 SIONERS OF THE STATE OF MIN- 

 NESOTA, _ 



THE report opens with an acknowledgement to various 

 ci'izeus and railway corporations for courtesies ex- 

 tended in the way of transportation, etc., partly the result 

 of a growing interest in and appreciation of the value of 

 fish culture, a healthy and natural outcome of the diffusion 

 of iutsrmalion upon the subject of pisciculture. 



The bounty of 4U0.000 salmon eggs furnished the State 

 by Uuiied Stales Fish Commissioner Buird was divided 

 between the hatching-houses of Mr. S. B, Watkins, of Red 

 "Wing, and that of Mr. Wm, Scherrnuly, ou the St. Croix 

 above Stillwater. Eighty per cent, of them were hatched 

 in good order, and the distribution extended from early in 

 May to the middle of June, at which time a succession of 

 violent and deluging rains fell. The trout ponds of Mi. 

 "VVatkius were badly damaged, causing the loss of many 

 fish, both of his own trout slock &ud some of the Bute 

 salmon. A few days later the establishment of Mr. Scher- 

 rnuly was utterly swept into the St. Croix river by another 

 one of those storms, mure like a "water spout" tiran any- 

 thing else. He lost his eniire slock of trout, old breeders 

 and young fry, of which there were several hundred thou 

 gaud, together with all the remaining Stale salmon, weie 

 tarried into the St. Croix river, and, although not destroy- 



ed or totally lost to the public, they are not at all aotjenerally 

 distributed, or where the Commissioners or Mr. Scherrnuly 

 intended to locate them. 



Although the Commissioners endeavored to distribute 

 impartially the fish remaining at Red Wing, they were com- 

 pelled to disappoint some living at distant points. The fish 

 by this time being so large that but few at a time could be 

 risked in a can, for long distances, in such warm weather 

 as it was then getting to be. 



One hundred thousand while-fish were to have been re- 

 ceived from Michigan in the spring, but at the lime they 

 should have been removed the streams and lakes in Minne- 

 nesota were under ice from twenty four to thirty inches 

 thick, and the result of putting them under ice would prob- 

 ably have resulted iu the youug fish starving to death for 

 want of proper food. Had the Stale its own hatching- 

 houses ibis could be avoided another season, as the temper- 

 ature could be so regulated as to advance or relreat the 

 hatching time at will. 



The Commissioners received 10,000 of the laud-locked 

 salmon eggs from United States Fish Commissioner Baird, 

 but uufoituuately were not able to distribute any of them, 

 for soon after hatching they were attacked wilh some fatal 

 malady which seemed to paralyze the hinder part, aud not- 

 withstanding all efforts to save them continued 10 die 

 rapidly, till only a lew of the lot remained, peril, i 

 dozen. 



However much the Commissioners would like to intro- 

 duce bass, carp, lake li out, grayling, brook trout, eels, wall- 

 eyed pike, and others, their means is only barely sutlicieut lo 

 care for part of the gratuitously-furnished eggs from the 

 United States Commissioner, but they hope that all of the 

 above varieties may, before long, be liiuoduced throughout 

 tue entire State wherever there is suitable water tor them. 



The appropriation made by the Minnesota Legislature 

 ($1,000) appears to have been entirely inadequate lor the 

 puipoj.es intended, and in thanking the Governor for his 

 ivinuuess in coming to their assistance with a donation from 

 his sinking fund the Commissioners urge that an appropri- 

 ation of at least .$5,000 lor two years be granted to enable 

 them to continue the work in a manner suited to lire mag- 

 nitude of Ihe interest, and the dignity of the State. They 

 have now on hand some 300,000 young salmon to be fed 

 and cared for until next May, and then distributed, aud lo 

 do all this they have unexpended some sixty dollars, They 

 represent, and very justly, lhat their own tabors aud efforts 

 are entitled lo some consideration . No Fish Cotumissionei 

 of .Minnesota has ever received any compensation, and the 

 labor performed by them has never fallen to the lot of the 

 Commissioners ot any other Stute, They have traveled 

 hundreds of miles, caring fur and attending the fish, 

 carrying water, chopping ice, loading aud uuloading 

 the heavy cans iu aud out of cars and wagons— night 

 and day, early aud late, wet and dry — but musily wet aud 

 with ice water. During the last summer the Commissioners 

 have averaged six weeks each of traveling aud real hard 

 labor, which time, taken fro . their own private business, 

 was no small sacrifice. The clerical labor is very consider- 

 able, the correspondence being large; bui much of it might 

 he avoiued if a sma:l pamphlet could be compiled giving 

 detailed instructions in lisn raising; lhat would cover mure 

 ground than could possibly be contained within the limits 

 of a letter. The Commissioners hear of the vigorous ap- 

 pearance and growth of the salmon introduced in widely 

 separated localities, and believe they will all flourish and 

 propagate. They have a reserve of about fifty Calilornia 

 salmon, kept in a spriugpondal Red Wing hatcUiug-house, 

 of the eggs received iu me fail of 1874; from their actions 

 this fall it was discovered they « ere apparently getting 

 ready to spawn. Upon examination, however, it was dis- 

 covered, also, much Lo their disappointment, that Ihey were 

 all males. Mr. Walking, however, was equal to the emerg- 

 ency, and used the ripe males, aud suecesslully impregnated 

 a lot ut brook trout eggs. 



This, they think, conclusively demonstrates that the 

 California salmon will undoubtedly breed iu their lakes, 

 and his vigor and rapid growth shows, also, that he finds 

 plenty of suitable luod and is able to care for himself, 



CARE OF YOUNG TROUT IN THE 

 HATCHI NG-HOUSE. 



MJMUKl: ELEV-EM. 



v Continued from our intuit? of J<\:b. 14th. 



TI1E fish must now be sustained for two months, by 

 artificial food similar in naiure to lhat sought by, 

 trout in their native retreats, In the cool, tortuous, 

 swirling streams of the deep forest shades, where ihey lux- 

 uriate exclusively upou natures bounties — they are strictly 

 carnivorous, subsisting upou flies, larvre, and a great 

 variety of other insects — when, if unmolested, they attain 

 splendid proportions. The domesticated trout, which fish 

 culturista have achieved such wonderful success in culti- 

 vating, thlces kindly to many varieties of animal food. 

 The hearts, kidneys, and livers of animals, brought to Ihe 

 shambles, chopped fine, and reduced to pulp by washing 

 through fine sieves, say twenty-five lo thirty lined wires lo 

 the inch, into a vessel of water, turning off the supernatant 

 liquid before using. This food is well adapted to the fry, 

 in its present condition. It can be best distributed by the 

 use of a bulb syringe, by drawiug into it a small quantity 

 of pulp; the workmen begins at the upper end of the 

 trough;, and gently forces out a single drop, aud the 

 minute fragments at once diffuse in the water, and are 

 eagerly seized, and when all has been eaten mure is in- 

 jected, uutil the fish have eaten enough. In like manner 

 the fish in troughs and in tray:-: are daily fed in the morn- 

 ing, aud while yet, light is sullicient, lo enable the fry to 

 see the food iu the afternoon . Some fish farmers use curds, 

 and hard boiled yolks of eggs. At the Storm Outfield 

 Hatchery, in Scotland, bread crumbs and boiled live-r are 

 used, the latter made very line by chopping with cleavers 

 of butchers or culling machines. Animal food is also used 

 at the great- French fish farms at Huuiogue, now 

 by the Germans, ami at. the pisicultural establishment iu 

 Buisse, in the Canton of Voiron, in Iseie, a department on 

 the southeast frontier of France. In Germany the dead 



animals, from the farms around the hatcheries, are ob- 

 tained and patties or pies arc made of their flesh, and fed 

 to the fish trom time lo time. We can conceive lhat the 

 flesh of superanuated horses, in good condition, slaughtered 

 and prepared, would not. only lurnish wholesome and de 

 sirable food, but cheap withal. The flesh ot many varieties 

 of fish, well chopped, is eaten wilh avidity by trout. It is 

 also economical, to breed small fishes, for those large 

 enough to eat them. Doctor Goldsmith, of Vermont, 

 avers thai he fe»ds food prepared from Indian meal, which 

 is eagerly eaten by trout, aud they seem to thrive excel- 

 lently well upon this farenaceous diet. It is quite pro 

 bable that, crumbs from Ihe table, pulverized crac 

 other refuse, devoid of condimuuts, may be utilized for 

 fish food, and the fish be glad of the change. All such 

 articles should be fed sparingly, that all may be eulen, if 

 preferred at all by the fry. In the daily use of food, arti- 

 ficially prepared, it requires a great amount of pal 

 feed and nurse fifty or a hundred thousand trout, auu keep 

 the troughs pure and sweet by frequent cleansing. In a 

 cold, damp, cheerless, uncomfortable hatching-house, as- 

 sistants may be tempted to rush and hurry over their work, 

 but the successful issue of ihe enterprise requires that such 

 employees should be supplanted by more faithful and re- 

 liable helpers. After feeding the fishes a few days, the 

 troughs should be thoroughly cleansed, at least every three 

 or four days, from any decomposing food lhat may have 

 settled upon the bcltoms. The operator may turn im at 

 the head of the troughs as strong a current of water as 

 the fishes-can bear, and slacken LI ed he, by 



placing the hand in the water at the head of trough, iu 

 Which case ihe fishes flee down to the set i 

 stirring the gravel With Lire hand, avoiding violent, motion 

 while cleansing the upper end of ihe trough, then chang 

 ing to the lower end, the fishes meantime fleeing to the 

 upper end again; the operators completes iu like manner 

 tile cleansing of a compartment of the trough or fray, and 

 bo on, until all of the nursery trays and troughs have been 

 all renovated. Any substances that still remain may be 

 rubbed through, or" may be removed by the bull 

 Thus has been described the daily routine— busioi 

 fish farmer— until the liuic for the removal of the fry lo a 

 more expansive aud commodious home, or lor stocking 

 waters. This period of time has usually been fixed ai ihe 

 end of two months from hatching, but it is still a mooted 

 question. At ibis time, wdieu nearly two-thirds of Ihe 

 Slates of the Union are laudably engaged in restocking 

 the barren streams of the country, experiments should be 

 instituted to determine at what" age fry suiter the least. 

 shrinkage from predaceous fish, when used in restocking 

 streams. Artificial hatching has triumphed over the 

 naluiai method by a loss of only five lo ten per cent. But 

 how shall the immense loss of young fish be lessened, 

 that fish culture may rank as the greatest achievement of 

 the age? It is feared thai the great, outlay of money and of 

 labor by the different Stales, and by the United Bl 

 Commission, have not produced results commensurate with 

 the means employed. Yet, iu all ca-.es, Ihe work has beeu 

 conducted on as safe a basis as Ihe present stale of our 

 knowledge permits. Are the young salmon, trout aud 

 white fish, transferred to the public « ateis belore they are 

 fully equipped for shunning their enemies, or belore ihey 

 are entirely capable of maintaining an inn. 

 ence? Are these fish planted in too large numbers at once, 

 and at unseasonable limes? Are they so nearly exhausted 

 iu being carried long distances, that lew of them rally 

 from feebleness incident to the present modes ol transput 

 lutionV A belief is rapidly gaining ground among unuiy 

 pisciculturists of our country, that youug flail I 

 stocking public waters are removed too boon from the 

 breeding establishments; lhat they should be 

 longer, in large tanks or ponds, before Ihey are 

 that improved me'hods of transportation should 

 ployed; that cars more capacious and roomy should be 

 tilted especially for this service, with large tanks, and 

 improved apparatus foi eoustan'. and rapid aeration of the 

 water; rhat these fish trains should have no othei 

 for the time but the transportation of fish, and should be 

 under the control of experienced official 

 siouers or others, who know exactly what kind 

 aieut to bestow upon feeble young fish while in limisii, lo 

 their new iiumes. More lhan this, ihe Hani should be 

 fitted lor the comfort ot men employed, 

 may labor alternately for the security aud safe convey ante 

 of ihe many thousands committed lo their call) 

 where pure water may be had iu abundance, sbuuld bu 

 curel'ully designated belore settipg out, and the convoying 

 be conducted rapidly or blow! 



transportation ot the precious freight. The uigut Lima 

 should always be selected tot planting, which sin 

 the small tributaries ot lar-cr stream-, where lb- 

 become accustomed to the extraordinary scope 

 dom of their new quarters, and gain wisdom m 

 strength, which will belter enable them 10 avi 

 natural enemies. If the iiy arc disposed to rema 

 time in the new situation, a smaller number will \) 

 need lhau if planted at once iu larger streams, where a, 

 greater number of predatory ush abound. It is a common 

 practice to plant even a hundred thousand ut u 

 mans. This immense skoal of ferine, d< 

 rendered more so by a long tedious journey, incapable of 

 endurance if too young— hum iinpi 



to support respiration— at once become a pny to thieves 

 and sharks, lhat lurk for no other purpose than 



up thousands of these incipient trout and salmon, incap- 

 able as Ihey are of hidmg or fleeing Hun 



such irrepressible and formidable foes. 



Occasionally the fish culturist is horrified by the sudden 

 appearance ot an epidemic among his: fishes, 'liny may 

 appear in perfect health in the evening, and in the morn- 

 ing the screens between the Compartments of Ihi 

 are clogged wilh numbers of dead and dying fry. 

 ate action becomes necessary for the sal 

 patently healthy aud uueontaminated by disease. Unless 

 the morbid cause can at once be di I removal 



lo the pond is the only safe expedient to adopL, 

 origin of the malady may be investigated at leisure., thus 

 guarding against a similar misfortune, if the cat 

 found to exist in the confined space of the tnnuj 

 fault of some unseen element of lb< 

 ihe uoughs. It will be seen thus lar, in descut) 

 processes of this wonderful ait, that none but [I 

 men ninthe highest prizes- ihe experienced a 

 fish funnel must, tike the successful breeder ol 

 slock, pessess a thorough knowledge of hit 

 same industry is requisite in gM?w ■ iuily, as 



in rearing kine, Tue successful man of business, whoae 



