176 



FOREST AINO STREAM. 



p/o'o), wldch, notwithstanding its 



ii ut tour tunes as large as the three-spined sticlcle- 



V.iu'k, was less active and rigorous than this interesting little 



fellow. \V Inn kept together it took but little time for the 



latter to make piece-meal of the cousin, generally beginning 



le tail. 



liesidcs the sticklebacks, the. nest-building of which was 

 o;n of the most interesting sights in the aquarium, there 

 Mere kept several other fishes that could be observed bring- 

 ing I • .•:;■ eggs on young ones. 



i parous blenny (Zmirces i-lrqyirons), or, as it is 

 called in Germany, the •■mother of eels," a fish seven to fif- 

 iee-n inches long, has a slight semblance to the common 

 oeJ. Its body is lengthened and somewhat compressed, 

 higher than tnat of the eel; its dorsal fin begins close to the 

 ; unites with the. caudal and anal fin, thus forming 

 a continuous edge round the greater part of the body. The 

 narrow abdominals are situated in front of the pectorals. 

 This fish brings forth its young ones alive. Previous to my 

 engagement at the aquari am I had often heard and read of 

 this very remarkable mode of development, in fishes, and I 

 therefore eagerly watched the numerous specimens which 

 were kept in different tanks, intermixed with other fishes. 

 Karly in April, 1872. 1 observed that one of the larger speci- 

 mens, which i took for the male, almost continually accom- 

 panied one of the others, while prosecuting its rivals, and 

 l a d iom . i ii is nibbed its body along that of its chosen 

 mate. Alter having continued this behavior for several 

 days it was observed that it tried to wind the hind part of its 

 body round that of the female, and that both of them were 

 lying immovable for about one minute. The body of the 

 i ""in .1 was in ariy straight, whilst the male evidently made 

 ev.-ry exertion to bend its body as much as possible and to 

 keep dose to the female. It was not to be doubted that a 

 real copulation took place, an event which we saw repeated 

 three times in one day by the same couple. 



The abdominal cavity of the blenny being extremely short, 

 le present id an ugly appearance live or sis months 

 afterward, when near the time that the young ones were 

 hat To saye these from the attacks of overfishes, we 



put the female into a solitary lank, and observed that about 

 three hundred young ones were bom in two days, each of 

 them more than two inches long, without any visible rest of 

 the yolk. Several other females, got at different times from 

 the sea— they are found both in the German Ocean and the 

 Baltic Sea— deposited their young ones in our tanks nearly 

 in every mouth from November until March, and the larger 

 the parent iishes, the larger were also the young ones, the 

 length of these varying from one and a half to three inches. 

 Altnongh fed very carefully with chopped liver and mussels, 

 only a few of thein were kept alive, most of them dying in 



The newspapers often repeat the story that at last the dis- 

 covery of the eel's development had been made, but invaria- 

 tparous blenny has been mistaken for this fish. 

 Somebody tells that he has found a lot of young eels in an old 

 one, and to give a convincing argument to his revelation, he 

 draws from the life — a blenny. Even papers of a world- 

 wide circulation, such as the German UtLTierdaubt, made this 

 blunder. It may be added that the development of the eel 

 is a secret no more, only the eggs are of such an extreme 

 diininutiveness that it requires a powerful microscope to 

 see them. 



(7b be cordhmed.) 



Pnooi 

 with a 



the 



Fish Cultobe in Canada. — We append here- 

 andum of fish eggs laid down in the several 

 sh-breeding establishments in Canada during 

 lB7f'.. as given in the Canadian Illustrated Xeics : 

 KetecasUe (Out)— Salmon eggs, 1,500,000; whitefish eggs, 

 150,000: California Salmon eggs, 10,000. 

 Sandwich (Ont. )— Whitefish eggs, 8,000,000. 

 Ihdomac (Que. )— Salmon eggs, 1,000,000; sea-trout eggs, 

 30,000; California Salmon eggs, 5,000. 

 Gaspi (Quo.)— Salmon eggs, 920,000. 

 a iSgouahe (Que.)— Salmon eggs, 720,000. 



Miranwhi (N. B.)— Salmon eggs, 640,000. 

 JMfardVU. S.)— Salmon, 1,000,000. 



The first practical experiments with fish culture in the 

 Dominion originated with Mr. Wilmot at his private resi- 

 dence in Ontario in 1865. Three years afterward, when its 

 benefits were made known, it was adopted by the. Govern- 

 ment, and has since been extensively carried on in several 

 of the Provinces. The rapidly increasing popularity of the 

 industry, together with the marked success which attended 

 its operations, has had the beneficial effect of inducing the 

 Government to erect six additional fish-breeding establish- 

 ments (beyond the original one at Newcastle) in the Mari- 

 time Provinces and in Untario. The Kestigouehe, a famous 

 salmon river, dividing New Brunswick and Quebec, had one 

 built upon it in 1872. During the following year two more 

 were erected, one at Gospe Uasin, the other on the ilira- 

 michi River; following these, another was put into operation 

 at Tadousae, at the mouth of the Saguenay Elver. In 1S75 

 a salmon hatchery was built at Bedford, near Halifax; during 

 the same year the largest fish-breeding institution on this 

 continent was erected at Sandwich, on the Detroit Biver; 

 this one is especially adapted for the artificial propagation 

 of whitefish. 



That our readers may be enabled to comprehend more 

 fully the importance of 'this enterprise and the amount of 

 benefit which has already been derived from it, we give the 

 following statement, taken from official returns, of the 

 numbers of young jisli. which have been distributed from the 

 Newcastle establishment : 

 Consisting of salmon, salmon-trout, and whitefish, 



which have been reared in it 5,125,000 



There are at the present, time in the several breed- 

 ing-rooms in the course of hatching out — Suing 

 ova of salmon, trout, and whitefish, and Cali- 

 fornia salmon, amounting to 1,775,000 



Making a total from this hatchery of 6,900,000 



Prom the other hatcheries in the Dominion, the 

 young salmon and whitefish which have been 

 planted in many of the rivers and other waters 

 amount to 9,215,000 



There are also on the hatching trays of the several 

 buildings in the Maritime Provinces and at 

 Sandwich, vivified eggs of the salmon and 

 whitefish numbering 12,400,000 



These added together form a grand total of fry 

 andnsh-eggs i if tuenuwl valuable species, which 



sen produced at the several fish- 1 

 establishments for distribution in the waters of 



Canada, amounting to 28,515,000 



A New Taoni PlBM in Iowa.— Mr. M. M. Moulton, of 

 Monticello, Iowa, sends the following information: 

 Ex-Mayor C. B. Wales has purchased a small spring farm 



of sixty acres, one mile east of the city limits, and has com- 

 menced to dry it up for a regular trout farm. He expects to 

 put upon it 10,000 trout fry in addition to other fish, and 

 commence fish-raising on a' large scale. It will be the first 

 of the kind in this part of the State. The land is naturally 

 adapted for a tirst-class fish-culture farm. He will have 

 two large living springs of water issuing from the bluffs on 

 the Maguoieta Biver, a hundred feet above high water, and 

 neatly arranged so as to have a good fall between each lish 

 race; and if the venture proves successful, he will add to it 

 from time to time as the business will warrant. 



Bespeetfully, M. M. Moulton, Marshal. 



i^atmal j§i8targ. 



A SHORT LECTURE ON FISHES. 



f 



HT ERNEST INGEBSOLL. 



OP all the animals composing that great branch of the 

 animal kingdom called vertebrates, the fishes are the 

 simplest in structure and intelligence, and are the oldest in 

 the history of the globe, as shown by the remains in the 

 rocks. Fishes being destined to an active life under water. 



have all their 



adapted to this purpose— gills instead 



f hey diftV 

 of u large head, no 

 the end of the tail. 

 ore present, toc 

 y on the back or 

 penings leading to 

 outh in breathing, is 



of lungs, limbs shaped as fins, and si 



in form, but all have the simple outi 



neck, and the body tapering gradually 



Some have no tins, but generally t 



arranged in pairs symmetrically, or s: 



abdomen. Behind" the head are laif 



the gills. The water entering the n 



driven across the gills and escapes by these openings. The 



scales greatly vary, their shape forming one of the characters 



by which a fish is classified! 'I hey are horny plates similar 



to our finger-nails, containing minute, polished plates of 



color, giving certain fishes a dazzling brilliancy of tinting 



that reminds us of gold and silver. 



The skeleton of fishes is either horny or made of cartil- 

 age, which is a tough, elastic substance, better known as 

 "gristle." It is composed of a head, trunk, and limb-'. The 

 head is made up of a large number of bones intricately put 

 together, particularly those supporting the arches of the 

 gills and the gill-covers (nfiercuta), the tongue and neighbor- 

 ing parts, which has been termed the hyokl apparatus. Next 

 behind the skull comes a chain of bones called vertebra:, ex- 

 tending the whole length of the body. Each vertebra is 

 shaped like an hour-glass, and is armed with spines and pro- 

 jections termed processes, some of which, by interlocking, 

 hold the vertebras more linn ly together, while others give a 

 strong attachment to muscles. This chain is the back-bone 

 or vertebral column, which, by its presence in every fish, 

 bird, reptile, and mammal, unites them into a single group— 

 the Tartebraia. Above the backbone runs the ., 

 that is the great nerve, which is a continuation backward 

 of the brain, protected by a bony tube, and underneath it 

 the great artery from the heart that supplies the body with 

 blood. To the sides of the backbone the ribs are all attached, 

 when present, and upon the spiny processes which project 

 upward is carried the frame-work of the fins of the back 

 and the tail. The side fins are supported upon the end of 

 some flat bones hinged to the backbone, which answer to the 

 fore-limbs in higher animals, but the ventral or belly fins are 

 fixed mora simply. The skeleton in fishes like the sharks 

 and skates is very different, not being bony at all, but com- 

 posed entirely of cartilage: hence they have been named 

 Cartilaginous fishes. 



Most fishes swim with great rapidity, using their tail alone 

 to get ahead with, balancing and steering somewhat with 

 their fins. Many possess a very peculiar organ, eaUed the 

 swimming-bladder, situated in the abdomen. This is a sac 

 filled with air, and so arranged that the fish can increase 

 or decrease his weight with respect to the water (i. «., his 

 specific gravity), and so sink or float; as he desires. 



The life of a fish is occupied wholly in providing its food 

 and escaping its enemies; its senses are dull, and it seems 

 to be without any remarkable instinct. Yet it has a brain, 

 abundant nerves, and all the organs of sense. Pishes are 

 great eaters, and nearly all live upon flesh. Some have no 

 teeth, but generally there are large numbers in different 

 parts of the mouth and throat, which vary widely in form, 

 number, and position. The horrid set which the shark 

 carries is regularly shed and replaced by new. The blood 

 of fishes is red and cold, but it seems to circulate slower 

 than in warm-blooded animals, and the heart is more simple. 

 Some fishes, like the electric eel, have the remarkable power 

 of producing electricity. These eels swarm in the smaller 

 streams of South Africa, and, when roused, can give so 

 powerful a shock as to kill men or cattle. The natives first 

 drive horses into the water, upon which the eels expend 

 their force, then they are easily taken, for they require a rest 

 while accumulating more electricity. The torpedo and other 

 fishes possess this faculty to a less' degree. Fishes multiply 

 "by means of eggs, some species producing hundreds of 

 thousands at a single spawning- -as the dropping of the egg 

 is called; vet perhaps not more than one in a thousand of 

 these eggs" ever results in a full-grown fish. 



: rishes change their residence with the seasons, or 

 according to their habits, especially their habit of spawn- 

 irth to south; in 

 ck again; and in 

 igain to the sea. 



from 



me is 



iom n 



water 



and bi 



s and 



down 



iphso 





an eminent. 



ip to shall 



One of the best known e: 

 salmon, and I will give yi 

 the words of Milne-lv.lw.u 



"Each spring it enters the rivers in 

 them, even to their sources, in these 

 follow a regular order, forming tw< 

 front, conducted by the largest 

 whilst the small males form the rear 

 swim in general with much noise ii 

 and near the surface of the water if tt 

 but nearer the bottom if the heat 

 salmon advance slowly, sporting at 

 danger appears to threaten tl 

 becomes such that, the eyi 

 dyke or cascade opposes their progres: 

 efforts to overcome it. Besting on so 

 the body suddenly and with vie 

 spring out of the water, leapin 



latt 



er class i 



B the 



of 



thai 



rhab 



ts in 



Pre 



r.eli 



naturalist: 



t tn 



lops 



to a 



jcend 



I'M 





lie s; 



linon 



great, in general, 



y proceed; but if 

 rapidity of their course 

 : follow them. If a 

 rogri they make thegreatest 

 ron some rock, and extending 

 lence after being curved, thev 

 > occasionally to the height of 

 fifteen' feet in the air so as to fall beyond the obstacle which 

 stops them. Salmon ascend rivers even to their source, and 

 search in the small streams and tranquil places a bottom of 

 sand and gravel adapted to the deposition of their eggs. The 

 eggs are deposited in a trough dug by the female in tneeand; 

 they are afterward fecundated by the male. The young 



salmon grow very rapidly; and when they are alioi 

 leave the livers to repair to the sea. whi 

 quit in its turn to again enter the river * * toward 



the middle of the summer that follows their birth." 



These periodical visits arc taken ad I by fisher- 



men, and it is then that all the salmon. I, 

 cod. and other fishes we use, are caught and cured. 



I have no doubt yon will be satisfied if I only mention the 

 classification, and I hav e little time to do more". It is a very- 

 large class and contains four sub-classes— The Jig 

 true Fish, the ijmmidj, and the Selachians or etirtii..-. i ■ ■ ■■ 

 fishes. The myzontes are so low and shapeless that they 

 were at one time classified with worms. Many of them live 

 as parasites on other fishes; some holding on by means of a 

 round sucker-mouth, like the lamprey eel. The true Fish 

 belong to two orders, separated by the shape of their scales, 

 which in such iishes as the perch and most of our fresh- 

 water Bpecies are jagged and comb-like along the posterior 

 edge, while in the case of our friend the salmon I 

 are round and smooth at the edges. This sub-class includes 

 about two-thirds of all the fishes, tend are the easiest examples 

 for you to study. 



(A) Ganoid fishes are -well represented by the gar-pike or 

 bill-fish of the western rivers and the common sturgeon. The 

 main part of this group, though, consists of fossil fishes, 

 which are found in the same rocks from which we get. our 

 soft coal. Many of these odd fishes who perished 80 long 

 ago looked very much like small alligators, and others ware 

 like our bill-fishes and tikes. 



To the fourth and highest sub-class belong those fishes 

 like the sharks and rays dr. skates, that, instead of a bmiy 

 skeleton like the true' iishes, have one of cartilage. The 

 sharks are noted for their ferocity and their insatiable appe- 

 tite. They abound especially among the coral islands of 

 the Pacific ocean, where the people Bpend about as much 

 time in the water as on land. But so .■■ usl mreil do they 

 become to them and so fearless, that it ; -. laid rj Island 

 does not wait for the shark to rush upon him. but attacks 

 him instead, with only a knife or sharp stick for a weapon, 

 ally conquers. Tie si oris . ' [ed to turn 



over to seize anything their mouth being a good ways back 

 from the end oil the Snout, which gives the swimmer an op- 

 portunity to plunge in his knife. All sharks. In rwi 

 not so large. The ra\s 03 skat.-;, or I heir cousin the torpedo, 

 are also flesh-eaters, but not so fierce as the sharks. They 

 are easy to recognize bv their nearly square shape, with the 

 head at one corner and the long tail at the other, The two 

 remaining corners are made by the'Very large side fins. The 

 many slender bones spreading out like rays from the 

 shoulder to the edge of this fin gives them their first name, 

 but why they axe called "skates" I cannot tell. 



We print this week the first installments of two lists which 

 will, we are sure, be regarded as ..f great import:.'! ;■■ i 

 our readers who are interested in Natural History. 



The Fauna o/ Michigan is from the pen of our valued 

 correspondent "Archer," whose graceful sketches are so 

 well known to the readers of Ebrasr Ann SraxAM. An old 

 resident of the State of « !■ loolog I fi atur.s he writes, 

 and a careful and thoroughly accurate observer, his notes on 

 the animal life of Michigan cannot fail to be of the highest 

 interest to all. In this list the nomenclature of no recent 

 work has been followed, but we prefer to print, it. just as re- 

 ceived, leaving to our readers to make any all. 

 amendments which they may deem needful. 



The Birds of Out Cbfeou Sea ProSrtea, by Dr. McOhosncy, is 



a most interesting contribution to our ornithological knowl- 

 edge, and the dates of the arrival and depart are of the vari- 

 ous species are especially valuable. 



What a debt do not zoologists owe to the officers of our 

 army, whose duties constantly lead them into the wildest, 

 and most unknown regions of our territory '■ From the date 

 of Lewis and Clarke's expedition to the present time, the 

 explorations and observations of the army, and especially of 

 its medical men, have contributed more than any other one 

 thing to increase our knowledge of the fauna and flora of 

 the country west of the Mississippi. The debt which we 

 owe to the army on this score is a large one, and it is con- 

 stantly on the increase. The careful and thorough edu- 

 cation which most officers have received, especially fits 

 them for making observations of importance to science, and 

 by far the larger portion of the work done by tin to 

 work, and is of the greatest value. 



BIRDS OF THE COTEAU DES PRAIRIES 

 OF EASTERN DAKOTA. 



BV CHAKI.ES B, MCHESNEY, M. Ii., n. s. A, 



THE" Coteau dos Prairies of 'Dakota evtond from about 

 latitude 4C deg. North, longitude 20 deg. '20 min. West, 

 some hundred and fifty or two hundred miles to the south- 

 east, and have a variable width of from twenty to fifty miles. 

 It is to the northern portion Of this interesting region (in 

 the vicirMy of Fort Sisseion, late Port Wadsworth) that the 

 foUowing notes have reference. 



This region consists of high-rolling prairie, in the hollows 

 of which are many lakes, and to these thousands of the 

 waders and wild-fowl of all kinds annually resort. The 

 region is very sparsely timbered, and is therefore poorly 

 represented in land birds : 



TurdiH mitjnitorius. Kobm. ThiH bird appears about April LiJtii, In 

 email numbs™, but the tonality does not seem to be well united tu 

 its summer real.iea. o, Migrates iti a tew nays, to return In larger 

 iuiuiIh.tr about September 'JStb, anil dually disappears for lbs sraauD, 

 October L'Stb. Dp the approach nj winter. 



Mimus eirnlinensis. Catbird. Appears about tbe 1st of June and 

 remains ivoiil September 3Sth in small numbers; breeds afire. 



Haryrrhj/uclius rufia. Brown tin rub. Appear 

 mains until tbe end of September in limited numbers breeds lure. 



Sialia. tbdtt. Eastern bluebird, Appears early In October and re- 

 mains tor a few days . is seen in small in 



Parw atrioayillul BI :. - - 1 ■ seen from September 



SS'tb until November Utb, in larf nUl I 



Eitmaphila alpestris. Horned lal'k. Appears SeplejuSer -jstu and 

 remains natal Korombei tiB»*BH »W« rieinSty.- returns 



about the middle of Mareb. ana is llieu found in luge nuiin: 

 pany wlui tbe snowbird {Jnur.a hymalii), an 

 about the same time, April I7ta. 



