FOREST, FISH AND GAME COMMISSIONER. 199 



cheaper and easier to handle. In his judgment gill nets could be used more 

 extensively than they now are. It is said that gill nets take more males, 

 which are often hard to obtain when wanted. 



In Big Clear lake one pound net was set on the night of October 15th. 

 In Bone pond, October 15th, one ripe female whitefish was taken, which 

 is two to six days earlier than the usual beginning of the spawning season. 

 In Little Clear lake the fish began to spawn from November 1st to Novem- 

 ber 6th. 



The accompanying tables showing falling off in the yield of eggs in 

 Canandaigua, Big Clear and Little Clear lakes will be instructive in this 

 connection. The number of eggs in a quart averages 42,000. 



Mr. R. R. Brown sends the following figures concerning the egg collec- 

 tions in Canandaieua lake: 



*& ■ 



1S97, 9 nets fishing 503 quarts 



1898, 8 nets fishing 52> 2 h quarts 



1899, 6 nets fishing 157 quarts 



1900, 5 nets fishing 74 quarts 



1901, 7 nets fishing 220^ quarts 



1902, 5 nets fishing 154 quarts 



1903, 5 nets fishing 2 5 I i quarts 



1905, 4 nets fishing 1 ^>9h quarts 



1906, 4 nets fishing 94 quarts 



In 1904 no work was done at Canandaigua lake because the expense 

 was greater than the yield warranted. 



Foreman Winchester furnishes the following records of whitefish eggs 

 taken in Big Clear and Little Clear lakes: 



Big Clear Lake. 

 1902 42,000 eggs 



1 9°3 5°4< 000 eggs 



1904 2 ,667 ,000 eggs 



1905 2,310,000 eggs 



1906 462,000 eggs 



