5 



this or some other disease will reach this port. Every interest in the 

 Territory would be advanced if this mosquito could in some way be 

 entirely eradicated, or at least reduced to the smallest possible number. 



G. R. CARTER, 



Governor. 



The subject was referred to the health committee of the 

 House. The committee reported favorably and the item 

 ($1500.) was included in the general expense bill of the Ter- 

 ritorial Board of Health for disbursement. This money was 

 not available until July 1st, but as soon as possible thereafter 

 an advance was sent to Mr. Alvin Seale at Stanford University, 

 the man selected by Dr. Jordan to carry on the experiment. 



The following report by Air. Seale covers the work of col- 

 lecting the fish and their transportation to Hawaii : 



REPORT OF MR. SEALE. 



Honolulu, Hawaii, September 23, 1905. 



Mr. D. L. Van Dine, 



Entomologist, U- S. Experiment Station. 

 Honolulu, H. T. 



Dear Sir : — In accordance with the following letter to your- 

 self from Dr. David Starr Jordan, I was chosen to attempt 

 the introduction of "top-minnows'" or "killifish" into the Ha- 

 waiian Islands for the purpose of destroying the larvae of mos- 

 quitoes : 



LELAXD STANFORD JUNIOR UNIVERSITY. 

 Office of the President. 



Stanford University, Cat, April 18, 1905. 



Mr. D. L. Van Dine, 



United States Experiment Station, 

 Honolulu, Hawaii. 



Dear Sir: — The best place to collect the fishes which you want would 

 doubtless be in Louisiana. It would probably take no longer time to bring 

 them from there than from any other places nearer. Perhaps an equally 

 good place would be Tampico. on the edge of Mexico. Yon understand 

 that this would necessarily be an experiment. These little fishes feed 

 freely on mosquitoes. Some live in brackish water, some in fresh w T ater, 

 and all of them are very hardy. But no one has ever tried to transplant 

 any of them, and the whole thing might turn out. for some reason or 

 other, 10 be a failure. Especially one would need to experiment on feed- 

 ing the little fishes during their transportation. The genera which I 

 would recommend are Mollienesia. Adinia. Gambusia, and Fundulus. Some 

 of these are viviparous, others lay eggs. Whoever undertakes this should 

 give a good deal of attention to the question of feeding the little fishes, 



