XLT 
Brook Trout — ( Salvelinus fontinalis). 
In the Fall we contracted with the proprietors of the Lud- 
low Trout farm in Pennsylvania for one hundred thousand 
eggs of the brook trout. These were received on the thirtieth 
of November, 1878. Shortly after they were placed in the 
hatching-house in Druid Hill Park the eggs commenced to 
hatch. The fish were sufficiently advanced to be ready for 
issue by the nineteenth of February, when, in accordance with 
the usual custom, the distribution commenced. The accom- 
panying tables show the details. 
As there was an unusual mortality with the eggs, and with the 
young fish soon after they left the shell, only forty-seven thous- 
and were delivered to the applicants. Quite a number of fish 
were kept, as usual, for experimental purposes. It was very 
important that we should thoroughly test, the capacities of 
the limited ponds adjacent to the hatching-house for keeping 
this variety of fish during the summer months, as it is neces- 
sary that we should raise a sufficient number of fish to fur- 
nish breeders enough to produce eggs adequate to supply the 
increasing demands for trout. The necessity for purchasing 
eggs from other establishments has been a considerable drain 
on the resources of the Commission. 
If we can keep in a healthy condition a few hundred adult 
breeding fish in our own ponds, we could, without any addi- 
tional expense, secure a large number of eggs for distribution 
each season. As a large proportion of the water used to 
supply the trout-ponds in Druid Hill Park is derived di- 
uectly from the high service reservoir, it is liable to consider- 
able elevation of temperature during the hot summer months, 
and this heat has been quite disastrous to our efforts hitherto. 
If we cannot secure sufficient quantity of water at low tem- 
perature to enable us safely to keep the fish of this family in 
the ponds at Druid Hill Park, it will be necessary for us to 
secure another site where we can control an ample supply of 
colder water. During the winter months the water is all that 
can be desired,, and we have been most successful at the 
batching-house in perfecting the eggs and caring for the young 
