342 
FOREST AND STREAM 
&isll Culture. 
U. 8. Fishkrt Commission.— We have a long and inter- 
esting letter from our last Summer’s correspondent, 
"Piseco." describing Wood’s Hole, in the Cape Cod coun- 
try, where the United States Fishery Commission under 
Prof. Baird, are to have their headquarters this year. It 
will appear in our next issue. The following extract is 
pertinent to the present date-.— 
"The Commission have not all arrived vet, but those 
who are here are already hard at work. We are having 
aquariums prepared, to be supplied with sea water from a 
large tank, which will be kept filled by windmill power. 
"Profs. Baird, Hyatt, Goode, Bean, Dr. Farlow, Mr. 
Rockwell, secretary, and Messrs. Dana, Taylor, aud Nilson, 
stenographers, are here, aud others are daily expected. 
Another week will, I think, see the fish house, laboratory, 
and aquarium finished, and we hope for a Summer of in- 
teresting results. PisECO." 
— Last year the State Fish Commissioners of New Jersey, 
stocked Lake Hopatcong with a quantity of salmon spawn 
and young salmon, thus sowing the seed from which great 
results are anticipated by the W&ltonians who make this 
lake their objective point. Ffteen hundred young trout 
have been deposited in the pond belonging to the Lakeview 
House, and the prospects are for a bountiful fish supply in 
the near future. 
Black Bass. — The Delaware River in the vicinity of 
New Hope is said to be full of black bass of fair size, aud 
the fishing excellent. Persons desirous of stocking ponds 
can obtain a supply of these fish of any size, from one to 
three pounds, by addressing Mr. James B. Thompson, New 
Hope, Pa. 
— J- M. Milner, of Washington, United States Fish Com- 
missioner, and Fish Commissioner Brackett, arrived at 
Holyoke on Thursday of last week, and began at once the 
work of securing shad spawn. They intend to leave one- 
half of the young shad for deposits in the Connecticut 
Rivers, and others in this Stale, if desired, and the re- 
mainder will probably be placed in Western States, in the 
head waters of streams that empty into the Gulf of Mexico. 
— The $10,000 fishway at South Hadley Falls is pro- 
nounced a complete failure. Not a shad has gone over it 
this season, and efforts to improve it have been futile. 
THE ORIGIN, DEVELOPMENT, AND PRO- 
GESS OF FISH CULTURE. 
BY ICHTHYOS. — MEMBER ONE. 
F ROM the most accurate information gleaned from the 
distam past, we are forced to adopt the conclusion 
tn»t fish culture is an art of very ancient application. 
Reasoning in connection with the wants of our race, in its 
primitive condition, in the absence of an enlightened agri- 
culture, we are led to believe that fish as a food resource, 
were used at an early period. Indeed, the vocation of 
fishermen was adopted by many of the Hebrews, some of 
whom became distinguished in the earliest efforts to estab- 
lish chrisiianity. And from this fact, we reason, that a 
large amount of food of those ancient people was taken 
from the waters ot Judea. The Old Testament writers, 
too, make frequent allusions to fish-gates, which possibly 
were methods by which fish were caught for domestic and 
commercial purposes. We have positive proof that they 
bad numerous methods of capturing fish for food, aD<J 
that a large part of the sustenance of the human family at 
an early period of time, was obtained from the water area 
of the globe. Oriental scholars have discovered in the 
writings of the Chinese historians, authentic accounts of 
the practice of the art of fish culture, by that nation 4,000 
years ago. It is a fact well authenticated, that fish hutch 
ing has been practiced in that country, from the earliest 
period of the world’s history, for mention is made by their 
oldest writers, and it is also affirmed by savants conversant 
with the literature of China, that in the works of Fo-bi, 
who flourished according to the calculations of the best 
authorities 2,100 B. C., mention is made of laws regulating 
the time at which spawn should be taken. 
Tlie earliest notice of Chinese pisciculture by Europeans 
to be found in history, is that of Father Duhalde, a Jesuit 
Missionary, who, in 1735, published at Paris a history of 
the Chiuese Empire, tn which he states that "at a certain 
season of the year an immense number of merchants resort 
to the banks of the Yaug-tse-Kiang, for the purpose of 
purchasing spawn. In the month of May the couutry peo- 
ple place across the current of the river, 'mats and hurdles 
extending for a distance of nine or ten leagues- leaving 
only an opening sufficiently wide for the passage of vessels'! 
The fish spawn, in its passage down the river, is caught 
upon these hurdles; it is removed, placed in vessels of 
water, and sold at once to the merchants who transport it 
to vurious part of the Empire for re-stocking rivers ’’ 
Modern travelers corroborate the observations of the Mis- 
sionary, and speak of impregnated spawn as a common 
article of commerce throughout that vast Empire "The 
eggs thus obtained are in the same condition.” says Dr J 
H. tilack in his work on Trout Culture, "as those taken by 
the Ainsworth or Collins spawning race, being naturally im- 
pregnated; and, strange to gay, this naturally-impregnated 
trout spawn is now sold at much higher prices than that 
taken by band," though in his experience the propor- 
tion of properly impregnated eggs is much greater bv the 
latter process, 
1 lie Missionary Hue, a Catholic prelate, who visile that 
Empire in 1344, under holy orders, confirms the statement 
of Duhalde, regarding the fisheries of China— their extent 
»nd productions. We also learn from more recent travelers 
that the ichihyic fauna of that country is remarakbly rich 
lor besides all the varities kuowu to North America, there 
are several species of superior fish, unknown in other por- 
tions of the globe. It would he impossible to SIlKliiin I lip 
The Romans were probably not familiar with the artificial 
means of impregnating and lintching ova, or some account 
of it would have been transmitted to us; vet they had en- 
ormous piscines— fish ponds, where fish multiplied natur- 
ally, and from which their tables were supplied with fine 
food fish. That these fish preserves were enormous, may 
be gather from the fact that the price paid for contents, 
in one case, that of Lucullus, amounted to 4,000,000 sester- 
ces, equal to $160,000. showing conclusively that fish cul- 
ture, it not fish breeding, had at the period of the Empire 
and Republic, attained gigautic proportions. Rome at the 
acme of her power had a vast population, and it is but fair 
to infer that she made the most of food resources, and that 
the rivers and waters of the Empire contributed largely to 
sustain her millions of people, if we had space we might 
draw from Columella, whose work is full of facts regard- 
ing rural industries. Thus, fish culture, in a rude form 
has been practiced since the early ages of the world, quite 
commensurate, probably with its civilization. While the 
Rornaus, between the taking of Carthage, and the reign of 
Vespasian, contracted a perfect passion for fish culture, in 
which for the gratification of their tastes, fabulous sums of 
money were expended, j’et, the interval of time which sep- 
arates the Roman Empire from the Eighteenth Century 
affords us no particular evidence of nnj important progress 
in the art of fish culture,— in the husbandry of the waters. 
The progress made by the Romaus, was barely maintained 
during the middle ages, save that the fishermun’s art was 
kept alive, perhaps, ^lightly extended, and perfected in 
Italy and in France, where’ fish preserves became quite 
numerous. 
Towards the end of the middle ages, it appears, however, 
that new methods were sought for, with a view to the in- 
crease of the production of fish. Dr. Slack says, "the 
numerous fasts imposed upon monks during the middle 
ages by the Roman Catholic Church, rendered an ample 
supply of fish food an article of paramount import- 
ance to the monastic fraternity, and to them we 
we would naturally look for any improvement in the art 
fish culture. While bunting among the musty archives of 
the Abbey of Reoine, Baron Mongaudray accidentally dis- 
covered that a monk of that religions establishment, yclept 
Dotn Piuchou, during the fourteenth century, practiced a 
method of hatching, at least similar to those still pursued 
in some of our largest trout farms. How the reverend 
father obtained and treated his spawn is unfortunately not 
recorded; but obtain them he did, and no doubt received 
the blessing of his confreres for the welcome additions to 
their larder. To D 0111 Pinchon must be ascribed the honor 
of the invention of the first hatching box. For three cen- 
turies more, the art remained in the status reached by the 
Monk. In 1761, Charles Frederic Lund, of Lin Koeping, 
Sweden, having noticed the spawning of fishes in Lake 
Koken, prepared a large, wide, shullow box in which, 
after covering the bottom with brush, he placed male and 
female curp, during the spawning season. As soon as the 
spawn was deposited, the parents were removed and the 
eggs protected from the attack of enemies. This process 
is still practiced with success in various portions of the 
continent. Spallanzani, an eminent Italian naturalist, per- 
formed for the first time the operation of artificial im- 
pregnation, not with fishes but with frogs; yet the fact was 
established, and practical beuefit was derived from his ex- 
periment. Drifting along in the current of events, no real 
impulse as yet had been given to fish culture. Like all 
great movements and inventions, the master baud had not 
yet given the finishing touch to an art which had been 
struggling for 4,000 years for a widor sphere of usefulness, 
for a more general recognition. 
To be Continued. 
M‘dtiral gjintorp. 
—The Sanderson (Fla.) News of the 14th June says-.— "A 
gentlemau of this place informs us that last week, while 
fishing in the south prong of St. Mary’s River, six miles 
from town, he found a kind of island In the swamp, con- 
taining about ten acres, covered with a dense growth of 
small timber. On every branch of these trees he found 
from one to five bird’s nests. He saw an innumerable 
quantity of eggs, besides myriads of young birds of every 
kind belonging to this latitude, llo fired his gun sev- 
eral times, and a dark cloud of the parent birdB each time 
would rise up from the swamp, circle around in the air, 
and alight again among their nests." 
THE WILD 
For FortM and -Stnam. 
MOUNTAIN GOAT. 
impossible to sustain the 
vast population of the Empire, amounting in the aggregate 
to m to Uuu. 400,000,0*, weri U not to, lb e welKtocES 
fishery of the country, sustained and controlled by string- 
The Habits of Black Bass. — They pair and spawn in 
May, make their nests on beds of course sand or gravel, in 
from four to six feet of water, by fanning the pebbles 
clean and smooth with their fins ana tails, and then doposil 
their eggs. Two or three weeks, accordiag to the tempera- 
ture of the water, elapse before the eggs hatch. The 
hatching is almost instantaneous, the young comiug out a 
perfect fish about half an inch long. After hatching, the 
young remain several days over the spawning beds, while 
the old ones keep close by to protect them. Iu about a 
week the young scatter, mostly into deep water, and are 
not seen again until Seplemoer, when they come in shore, 
having grown about two inches in length. If well supplied 
with food, they grow about four inches the first season. 
When two years old they reach a pound in weight, and 
after that grow about a pound each year, until they weigh 
six or eight pounds . 
PROPAGATING BLACK BASS. 
ehery 
Cut Lw«. 
_ Guelph, Ontario, June 28tU. 167G 
Editor Forest and Stream:— 
The members of tlio Guelph Protective Association being anxious to 
restock the stream* in this district with black buss, recently made nn at- 
tempt to transport a quantity of the earae from Lake Huron here. 1 re- 
gret to eay that the attempt was unsuccessful, those having charge 
being unable lo keep the fish alive In the barrels of water provided for 
ttielr transportation. 1 am therefore Instructed by the association to usk 
through the medium of your columns If any of your readers will lie good 
enough to give their experience or recommendations for the transporta- 
tion of live ba*s; also *> to the mode to be adopted, aud the same with 
regard to spawn; Bleo us to whether they consider laying down live fish 
or spawn the most advisable proceeding. I have the honor to be dear 
sir, your most ooedlent servant, (J. Acton Burrows, 
Secretary Guelph Flab Protective Association. 
Ans. No attempts arc made to 6toek lukes and oilier 
waters with spawn of black bass. Knowledge of the hab- 
its of this fish does not yet extend so far as to warrant any 
bucccss iu the endeavor. Grown fish are always employed 
and failure is seldom recorded. We ourselves placed a 
hundred Lake Erie bass in our private preserve at Bloom- 
ing Grove Park, Pa., four years ago, and the returns now 
afford excellent nngling. Similar success is recorded in all 
quarters. The black baas is very easily propagated, and 
its increase is so rapid that some fish cultures like Fred 
Malber (now one of the U. 8. Fishery Commission) strenu- 
ously oppose its introduction into new waters. With re- 
gard to transportation, most instructive papers by best 
thorities have appeared in Forest and Stream and 
have taken pleasure to forward lo you the following imiu" 
hers containing several columns of information on this 
subject, with illustrations: Jun. 21st; Feb. 4th and 
April 1st, 15th, and 22d, all for the year 1875 
mi- 
we 
O NE of the most interesting animals on this continent 
is the so-called goat which frequents the Rocky, 
Cascade, and Sierra Nevada Mountains, and about whose 
nimbleness, daring, vigilance, caution, and leaping powers 
hunters tell the most marvelous stories. This animal, 
which is kuown as the Aploeeru » Montan u», belongs to the 
antelope as much as to the gout family, so that It is iu 
reality a goat-antelope; for, although its horns are placed 
iu the head in the manner peculiar to the capridae, yet they 
are hollow, like those of the eavicomia animals — that is 
those having hollow horns. In height, beard, and form of 
face it resembles somewhat the chamois, but the latter is 
on the whole, the more graceful in outline. Of the hollow- 
horned quadrupeds there are but two representatives on 
this continent, aud they arc those mentioned. The great 
difference between the two spe ci,e9 se ems to be more jn 
habitat and the character of jfhau in aught else. 
The goat frequents the most inaccessible mountains, and 
loves the alpine region with its towering crags, tender herb- 
age, and fields of snow, where it is safe from all enemies 
while the antelope makes its habitat on the high, rolling 
plateaus, where it can watch its foes and escape them by 
its speed. The former depends on its nimbleness in leap- 
ing from crag to crag, or hurling itself into an abyss, In 
avoiding the machinations of euemiea, and the latter de- 
pends entirely on its fleetness. The covering of both ani- 
mals differs much in density and character. That of the 
goat is long, white, aud intermingled with soft, silken 
hairs, while that of the antelope is short, thick, coarse, and 
tubular. The shorter hairs ol the former, which lie close 
to the flesh, have a fleecy appearance, and could appar- 
ently be used for manufacturing purposes, ns they are fine, 
flexible, and tenacious. The visage is that of the regular 
capridfiB family, but the body is more akin to that of the 
sheep in form. The horns are short, conical, black in 
color, slightly recurved ut the outer end, and have 11 ring 
around the base. The face is rather long, und decorated 
with a white, pendunt heard; the nose is ovine; there is no 
tear-bug and no muffle; hence it has no affinity for the deer 
family, though closely allied to oue of the species. Its 
home is among the snowy pinnacles where naught grows 
but mosses, lichens, a few alpine shrubs, aud a meagre 
growth of the twisted, weather beaten bluek pine. Amid 
the rocky dells it is secure from tdl foes except man and 
even he seldom enjoys the satisfaction of killing one. 
In the Cascade range it reaches an altitude of from 8,000 
to 14,000 feet in Summer— a height that would cuuse a man 
much difficulty to clamber, owing to the rarity of the at- 
mosphere. At this altitude the range is one mass of pieci- 
pices, owing to its volcanic origin, Imt the goat seems to 
have no fear of them, for it nimbly leaps from crag 10 ora-* 
without the least hesitation. When pursued or startled by 
a liuuler a male leads the flock, and he is followed by the 
females and the young, und the adults close the rear. They 
will then bound from rock to rock with a rapidity almost 
inconceivable, anti fly over chasms broad enough uppar 
entlv to check anything else than a winged iinimal. W lieu 
hard pressed they leap down a precipice, and generally 
escape uninjured. I have heard old hunters and Indians 
say that they strike on their horns when they hurl them- 
selves downward, and then rebound to their feet uninjured, 
owing to the strength aud elasticity or these appendages 
They tell marvelous anecdotes of the distance the animals 
will jump and escape injury, but how much is fact I could 
not decide, not having seen any such leaps made us I have 
heard Ninuods mention. It is said that the animal will 
face deutlt rather than be captured bv man; for when 
wounded it has been known to hurl itself headlong into a 
cafton rather than uwuit its fate. The young are brought 
forth in June, and as soon as they arc able to clumber their 
parents lead them among the lender herbage of the higher 
peaks. The altitude at which the kids are born averages 
about 0,000 feet above the level of the sen, but they are 
scarcely ever found so low as this in the Summer and 
Autumn. This animal is gregarious, like its European con- 
geners, Imt one rarely sees over a dozen together. The 
flocks are usually less than this, although I havo occasion- 
ally seen a few that numbered from twenty to fifty. 
1 he Indians formerly hunted this animal quite generally, 
as they used the flesh and the fleece, the first lor food the 
latter for clothing. The introduction of colton goods by 
traders, und the turnisldng of rations by the Government 
has, however, suppressed the necessity for their pursuing 
it any longer except as u plensurc, hence it is more abun 
tlunt at present limn it luu* been nt any time since the dl 9 ' 
covery of the country. The flesh of the kid is tender and 
dry, with a rank taste, hut that of the parents Is rather 
tough, und anything but agreeable. The Indians of the 
Northwest, to whom It is known as the hya» moo to, do not 
consider it even palutable, hut a tribe in Wyoming prize it 
above all wild meats, Sevorul kids havo been captured by 
hunters in Montana, aud, when well-cared for, lived to 
quite an old Hge. They ure readily tamed by kindness, aud 
equal In miachlevouHuoss, and excel in nimbleness, the do- 
mestic variety. Those that I buw in Deer Lodge, Montana, 
were a pure white, and although only eighloun months oldj 
