86 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



September 3, 1880, 



■willing to make expenditure for the benefit of the others. 

 This work, which was not contemplated, when tlio Com- 

 mission was established, was firat undertaken at the in- 

 stance of the Amia-ic:in I'ish CiiknruL Association, whose 

 representatives induced ("(jiigress to make a specinl ap- 

 propriaticn for the puri.oKe. Tliis appropriation lias since 

 been renewed every year on a more bountiful scale, and 

 propagation i:^ at ju-eseiu by I'ar the most extensive 

 branch of tlie work of tia' CoumuEsion, both in respect 

 of nutnlser of mon employed aird (piaiitity of money ex- 

 pended. 



AUIiough activity in this direction may be regarded in 

 the liglit of applied rather than pure scientific work, it 

 is particularly important to the biologist, since it affords 

 opportunities fur iuvestigatufig many new problems in 

 physiology and embry':pl'>sy. 



The oi-igin of llie t ;.naiiiission, its pui-poses, and me- 

 thods of organization, liaAUig been described, it now re- 

 mains to review tlie accnmijbslied resultt; of its wtirk. In 

 many deparnnents. .--ii.Tially that of direct research, 

 most efficient ! ■■ been rendered by volunteers : 



in fact, a lav- i 'lat has been accomplished in 



Tsioiogical ami i . -i. . ipioration is the result of un- 

 paid labor on tiie part r,t some of tlie most skillful Am- 

 erican speci;distR. Althuugli it would lie interesting to 

 review the peculiar features of the work of each inveati- 

 gation, tlie limits of this paper will not allow me to do so, 

 or even to mention them all ii\ name. 



Since the important fisheries center in New England, 

 the coast of this district lias beeu the seat of the moat 

 active operations in marine research. For ten years, the 

 Commissioner, with a ijany of specialists, has devoted 

 the suDimer season to woili at the shore, at various sta- 

 tions along the cojst, from Connecticut to Nova Scotia. 



Asuitaiile [ibice having been selected, a temporary la- 

 boratory is htleil up with the necessary^ appliances for 

 collection an, I study: In this are placed from lento 

 tweniv tables, earli occupied liy an investigator, either 

 an oHicer of the Commi.ssion. or a volunteer. From 1S7S 

 to 1879. important aid was rendered by the Secretary of 

 the Navy, wdio detaaied for this service a steamer to be 

 used m cbedgiiiK and trawling, and thus year the steamer 

 built expri'ssiy for the Commission is employed in the 

 game manner.* 



TJie ret;nlar routine of operations at a summer station 

 includes all the various fuvms ...f activity known to nat- 

 uralists—collecting along the shore, seining upon the 

 beaches, setting traps for animals not otherwise to be ob- 

 tained, and scrapiug with dredge and trawl the bottom 

 of the sea, at depths as great as can be reached by a 

 steamer in a trip of three days, lu the laboratory are 

 carried on the usual structural and systematic studies; 

 the preparation of museum specmiens and of report.s. 

 Since the organization of the Commission, the deep sea 

 work and tlie investigation of invertebrate animals has 

 been under the charge of Prof, Verrill, who hatl for many 

 years before the Commission was established been stu<i3'- 

 ing independently the invertebrate fauna of New Eng 

 land. 



In addition to what has been done at the summer sta- 

 tion, more or less exhaustive investigations have been 

 carried on bj' smaller p:irti<:s on many parts of the coast 

 and interior waters. Tlie ftuuia of Grand Rapids, and 

 other olf-snore (ishing grounds, has been p,artly explored. 

 In 1872, 187o and 187^ dredgmg wtis carried on from the 

 coast survi'y steamer Bache. by Prof. Packard and Mr. 

 Cooke, Prof. Suiilh, Mr. ilarger aud Mr. Bathbun. In 

 1879 Mr. K. L. Osborne spent three months in a cod 

 schooner c. rHecting material on the Grand Banks, and 

 Mr. ^'. P. S<uilder as long a time on the halibut grounds 

 of Davis' .Straits. 



A most reiuiirkable series of contributions have been 

 received from tlie li.sliernien of Gat.e Ann. When the 

 Fish Coinmissioii liad its lie.ulquarters al Gloucester, in 

 187S, a general interest in the /.uological work aprjuig up 

 among the crews of the fishing \'essels, and since that 

 time they liave been vieing with each other in ellorts to 

 find new" animals. Their activity has been stimulated by 

 the publication of lists of their donations in the local 

 ijapers, and the number of separate lots of specimens re- 

 ceived, to tho present time, exceeds eight hundred. Many 

 of these lots are large, consisting of collecting-tanks full 

 of alcoholic specimens. At least thirty fishing vessels 

 now carry collecting-tanks on every trip, and maiiy of the 

 fishermen, with characteristic superstition, have the idea 

 that it insures good luck to have a tank on toard, and 

 will not go to sea without one. The number of speci- 

 mens acquired in this manner is at least fifty or siity 

 thousand, most of them belonging to species unattaina- 

 ble. Each halibut vessel sets, twice daily, lines from ten 

 to fourteen miles in length, with hooks upon them six 

 feet apart, in water twelve hundred to eighteen himdred 

 feat m depth, and the iiuantity ol living forms brought 

 up in this luauner, and which had never hitherto been 

 saved, is very astonishing. Over thirty species of fishes 

 have thus been added to the fauna of North America, 

 and Prof. Verrill informs me that the number of new and 

 extra limital forms Ihus placed upon the list of inverte- 

 brates caioiot be le.ss than fifty. 



A permanent collector, ilr. Vinal N. Edwards, has 

 been eiuploved at Wood's Holl and vicinity since 1S71, 

 and many remarkable forms have also been discovered 

 by hitn. 



No dredging has yet been attempted by the Commis- 

 sion soutli of Long Island, though much has been done in 

 shore work, especially among the fishes, by special agents 

 and friends of the Commission, and by the parties sta- 

 tioned here and there in the work of fisii-culture. Mr. E. 

 G, Blackford, of Fulton Market, New York, by carefully 

 watcliing the market slabs, has added at least ten spe- 

 cies of fishes to the fauna of the United States, Mr. F. 

 Mather is studying the fish of Long Island and the Sound. 

 Dr. Yarrow, Mr. EarU, and otliers, liave collected from 

 Cape May to Key West. The Gulf States' coast was ex- 

 plored last winter by a parly conducted by Mr, Silas 



• Tlie number of dredging and tvawKng stations ou record is as 

 follows: — 



1871. Wood's Holl 3to 



laVi. Eosluort, 200 by hand, 35 Vy steamer 236 



J87i. Portkud 1411 



1871. Noarili SSS 



1875 Wood'sHoU - ^.^..- 1b9 



1677. Salem 1 — 



Halifax i 378 



1878. Gloucester f... ., — 



1879. Provlaoetown J , — 



Total ' ' IjSOO 



Xhe numlier of jeeioe hiuda Is alsout 1100. i 



.Stearns, who spent nine months in studying the food- 

 and the census. The entire Pacific Coast has been scoured 

 by Prof. Jordan for the Commission and the census, and 

 the ichthyology of that region has been enriched by the 

 discovery of sixty species new to the fauna, forty of 

 them being new to science. A similar investigation on 

 the great lakes has been carried over a period of several 

 years by Mr. Jlilner and Mr. Kumlieu. The ichthyology^ 

 of the rivers of the country has received much attention 

 from tho many experts employed by the Commission in 

 fish cultural work. 



In addition to these local studies may he mentioned 

 the general explorations such as are now being carried 

 on lor the oyster, by Mr. Ernest Ingersoll and Mr. John F. 

 Ryder, for the shad by Col. McDonald, for the smelt and 

 the Atlantic salmon by Mr. C. G. Atkins, and the quinnat 

 salmon by Mr. Livingston Stone. 



A partial indication of what has been accomplished 

 may be found in the number of species added to the vari- 

 ous" faimal Usts. Take, for instance, the cephalopod mol- 

 hisks of New England. In Prof. VerrilFs recently pub- 

 lished monographs twenty species are mentioned, thir- 

 teen of which are new to science. Ten years ago only 

 three were known. 



I am indebted to Prof. Verrill for the following esti- 

 mate of the number of species added within the past ten 

 years to the fauna of New England, mainly by the 

 agency Of the Commission : — 



Family Known. Additions. Now Known. 



Crustacea 105 193 298 



Pycirosenlda 5 10 15 



Annelida 87 238 305 



Vermes 



Mnlliiigea 



Ecliluodermata _. . 



Aottiuzna 



rur.lcaiii 28 25 51 



Volyzott _ 58 91 1« 



Braobiopoda 5 .5 



Sponges 10 80 90 



Acalepha)..- 



800 1,000 l.SOO 



It is but just to say that ma.ny of these species were 

 obtained by Prof. Verrill in the course of his independent 

 explorations in Maine and Connecticut previous to 1871. 



A similar estimate fur the fishes indicates tho discovery 

 of at least one hundred species on the Eastern Atlantic 

 coast within ten years : half of these are new to science. 

 Forty species have been added to the fauna north of Cape 

 Cod ; sixteen of these .are new and have been found 

 within three years ; seventeen iiave been desciibed as 

 new from the Gulf of Mexico; sixty, aud more, have 

 been added upon the West co.ist. The results of the 

 summers" campaigns are worked in winter in the Pea- 

 body Museum of Yale College, under the direction of 

 Prof. Verrill, and by the speci'aUsts of the National Mu- 

 seum. 



One of the important features of the work is the 

 preparation of life histories of the useful marine animals 

 of the country, and great quantities of material have 

 been accumulated relating to almost every species. A 

 portion of this has been published, more or less complete 

 biographical monograpjlis liaving been printed on the 

 bluefish. the scup.'tbe nienliaden. the salmon and the 

 whitefish, and others arc nearly ready. 



Another monograph which may be referred to in this 

 connection is that of Mr, Starbick on the wdiale fishery, 

 giving its history from the earliest settlement of North 

 America, 



The temperature of the water in its relation to the 

 movements of fish, has from tlie first received special at- 

 tention. Observations are made regtilarly during the 

 summer work, and at the various Latching stations. At 

 tile instance of the Commissioner, an extensive series of 

 oliser\ations have for several years been made under the 

 direction of the chief signal officer of the army, at light- 

 houses, lightships, life-sacing and signal stations, care- 

 fully chosen, along the whole coast. This year thirty or 

 more fishing schooners and steamers ,are carrymg ther- 

 mometers to record temperalures upon the fishing 

 groimds, a journal of the movements of tlie fish being 

 kept at the'same time. One practical result of the study 

 of tlie.se olxservations has been the demons.tration of the 

 cause of the failure of tho meuhadeu fisheries on tlie 

 coast of Maine in 1879— a failure on account of which 

 nearly 'i.WO persons were thrown out of employment. 



Another important series of investigations cimied on 

 liy Commander Beardslev. of the navy, shows the error 

 of theordinarv manner" of ttsing the Casel Wilier deep 

 sea thernuinieter : still anotlier .series made by Dr. Kid- 

 der, of the navy, and to be carried out in future, had for 

 its object the deterudnation of the temperature of the 

 blood of marine animals. 



Observations have also been made by Mr. Miluer upon 

 tlie influence of a change from sea water into fresh 

 water and from fresh water into sea wat*r upon the 

 young of different fishes. 



Mr. H. J. Rice carried on series of studies upon the 

 effect of cold in retarding the development of incubating 

 fish eggs. 



A series of analyses have been matle by Prof. Atwater 

 to determine tlie chemical composition and nutritive 

 value of fish as compared with other articles of food. 

 This investigation is BtUl in progress. 



In connection with the work of fish culture much at- 

 tention has been paid to embryology. The breedmg 

 tunes and habits of nearly all of our fishes have been 

 studied, and their relations to water temperatures, The 

 embryological history of a number of species, such as the 

 cod, shad, alewife, ■salmon, smelt, Spanish mackerel, 

 striped bass, white j.erch, and the oyster, have been ob- 

 tained under tlie auspices of the Commission, by Messrs. 

 Brooks, Ryder, Schorffer, kice, and others. 



The introduction of new species in water in which they 

 were previously tmknown, is of special mterest to the 

 student of geograpliic.il distribution. Through the 

 agency of the Commission the German carp has already 

 been placed in nearly every State and Territory, although 

 the work of distribution lias only just begun, and the 

 tench {Tincavulgaris), and the golden orfe {Idus melano- 

 tits), have been acclimated ; the shad has been success- 

 fully planted in the Mississippi A^aUey and on the coast 

 of Cahfornia, and the CalU'ornia salmon in the rivers of 

 the Atlantic slope. The maraena, or lake whitefish, of 

 Europe, has been introduced into a lake of Wisconam. 

 It is not my purpose to speak of the great success "ire- 

 stocking with shad and salmon several rivers in which 

 the supply was almost exhausted, and in planting the 



Schoodic salmon in numerous lakes. As an act of inter- 

 national courtesy California salmon have been success- 

 fully introduced into New Zealand and Germany. The 

 propagation work has increased in importance from year 

 to year, as mar be seen by the constant increase in the 

 amount of the annual appropriation. A review of the 

 results of the labors of the commission in increasmg the 

 food supply of the country, may be found in the annual 

 reports, the rude appliances of fish culture in use ten 

 vears ago have given wav to scientifically devised appar- 

 atus, by w^hich millions of egg a.r6 hatclied wliere thou- 

 iands were, aud the demcmBtration of the possibility of 

 itocking rivers and lakes to any desired extent has been 

 greatly strengthened. Tiiia work was for six vears most 

 efficiently directed by the late Mr. .J.iirnea W. Milner, and 

 is now in charge of JIaj. T. B. Ferguson, also commis- 

 sioner for the State of Maryland, by wliom has been de- 

 vised the inachinery for pjropagation on a ;;i;iiiiitic scale, 

 by the aid of steam", which is riow so successfullv in use. 



The investigation of the statistics and history of the 

 fisheries has perhaps as^sumed greater proportions than 

 was at first contemplated. One of the immediate causes 

 of the establishment of the (;;ommisaion was the dissen- 

 sion between tho line and net hsliermen of Southern 

 New England with reference to l.iws for the protection 

 of the deteriorating fisheries of that region. The first 

 work of Prof. Baird, as Commissioner, was to investigate 

 the causes of thi.s deterioration, and the report of that 

 year's work includes much statistical material. In tho 

 same year a zoological and statistical survey of the great 

 lakes was accomplished, and various circulars were sent 

 out in contemplation of the preparation of monographic 

 reports upon the special branches of the fisheries, some 

 of which have already boon pttblished. 



In 1877, the Commissioner and his staff were summoned 

 to Hahfax to serve as witiiesses and experts before the 

 Halifax Fishery Commission, then charged with the set- 

 tlement of the "amount of compensation to be paid by the 

 United States for the privilege of participating in the 

 fisheries of the Provinces. The information at that time 

 available concerning the fisheries was found to be so 

 slight and imperfect that a plan for systematic investiga- 

 tion of the subject was arranged aud partiaUy under- 

 taken. The work was carried on for i wo seasons with 

 some financial aid from the Department of State. In 

 1879 an arran.gement was made willi the Superintendent 

 of the Tenth Census, who agreed to bear a, part of theex- 

 pense of carrying out the scheme in full. Some thirty 

 trained experts are now engaged in the preparation of a 

 statistical report on the present state and the past his- 

 tory of the fisheries of tlie TJniied States. This will be 

 finished next year, but tlie subject will hereafter be con- 

 tinued in monogra|ilis upon separate branches of the fish- 

 eries, sucli as liie HalHuil Fishery, the Mackerel Fishery, 

 the Shad Fishery, the Cod Fishery', tlie Herring Fisliery, 

 the Smelt Fishery and various others of less importance. 



DISTRIBUTION OF ZOOLOGICAL COLLECTIONS 



Hundreds, and even thousands of specimens of a sin- 

 gle species are often obtained. After those for tlie Na- 

 tional Museum have been selected, a great number of 

 duphcates remain. These are identilied, labeled and 

 made up into acts for exclctnue with other museums and 

 for distribution to scluMils aiiJ small muscnms. This is 

 in accordance with llie time-hon..i,.d usage of the Smith- 

 sonian Institution, and ia rejinrded as an important 

 branch of the work. Several specialists aie employed 

 solely in making up these sets ami in g.illiering material 

 required for their completion. Within three years fifty 

 setsof fishes in alcohol. JMcludinK at least ten thousand 

 specimens, have been ..ent out, and iifty sets of mverte- 

 brates, embracing one Inuidred and sevenly-nve species 

 and two hundred and fifty thousand specimens. One 

 hundred smaller sets of representative forms are in- 

 tended for educational purposes, to be given to schools 

 and academies, are now being prepared. 



The arrangement of the invertebrate duplicates is in 

 the charge of Mr. Richard Rathbun ; of the fishes, in that 

 of Dr. T. H. Bean. 



FaciUties have also been given to many institutions for 

 making collections ou their own behalf. 



Six annual reports have been pubfished, with an rggre- 

 gate of "i.tJ.'iO pages, These cover the period from 1871' to 

 1878. Many papers relating to the work have been pub- 

 lished elsewhere— particularly descriptions of new spe- 

 cies and results of special fauual exploration. 



AN EPITOME OF THE lUSTOKY OP THE COMMISSION, 

 1871. 



The Commissioner, with a party of zoologists, estab- 

 lished the first summer station at Wood's tloU, Mass,, 

 other assistants bein- en-aged m a similar work at Cape 

 Hatteras and the Cireat Lakea. He also personally in- 

 vestigated the alleged decrease of the fisheries in South- 

 ern New England, taking the testimony of numerous 

 witnesses. 



1873. 



This year the summer station was at Easlport, Maine, 

 particular attention being paid to the herring fisheries. 

 The survey of the Great Lakes was contmued. Dredg- 

 ing, under the direction of Prof. Packard, was begun on 

 the off-shore banks. At the instance of the American 

 Fish Cultural Association, Congress requested the Com- 

 mi8.aioner to cake charge of the work of inultiplymg val- 

 uable fond fishes throughout the country. Work was be- 

 gun on the aha<l. salmon and whitefish. and the eggs of 

 the European salmon were imported. 

 1873. 



The summer headquarters were fixed at Portland, 

 Maine. The opportunities for research were greatly in- 

 creased by the aid of the Secretary of the Navy, who 

 granted the use of an eighty- ton steamer. 



Exploration in the outer waters between lit. Desert 



and Cape Cod were carried on in the United States Coaat 



Survey steamer Bache. Operations in fish culture were 



carried on upon an extensive scale. 



1874—1875. 



In 1874 the zoological work centered at Noank, Conn. 

 The attempt was made to introduce shad into Europe. 

 In 1S75 the station was for a second time at Wood's Holl, 



vhere a pern 



lent 



side laborator 



7ith aqu 



was now established. The number of 'inveatigations this 

 year was about twenty. The increase in the propagation 

 work was proportiona'tely much larger. 

 1876. 

 This year the Commiflsioner waa unable to take the 

 fishes and useful invertebrates in behalf the Commission 



