294 
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF FISHERIES 
where it was about 5 feet wide, the good and bad eggs would count 30 to the square 
inch, which would give 2,592,000 eggs to the brook. 
Cochnewagn Pond . — Atkins found that on May 7, 1868, the smelts of this lake 
had not begun to run, but that night he remained on the brook until midnight 
and managed to get about 20 small smelts and 3 “full-sized” ones. All were ripe. 
He said that the brooks were very small and that in none of them did the smelts 
run up more than 4 or 5 rods. The temperature of the brook at midnight was 43° F, 
and that of the lake on shore was 45° F. On the night of May 12 Atkins tried again 
for smelts at Monmouth. He succeeded in getting one “full-sized” fish. They had 
not begun to run in any quantity. On May 2, 1878, Atkins received a box of smelts 
that were caught in the brooks of this lake on April 30. The ice had left the lake 
on the 9th of April. All of the smelts appeared to be in breeding condition, the very 
smallest being a female with ripe eggs. 
Toddy Pond . — In his notes Atkins said that the lower several rods of Sucker 
Brook, which flows from Heart Pond into Toddy Pond, was the spawning ground of 
a variety of smelt. He visited the brook on April 17, 1878, and found that the 
stones, roots, and moss were well covered with smelt eggs and many were hanging 
in bunches. In the afternoon the temperature of the brook was 46° F. A boy about 
17 year of age, whom Atkins met, said that the smelts enter the brook before the 
suckers do. The boy had visited the brook on April 16 and found that there were 
very few smelts remaining in it. 
Unpublished observations of Charles G. Atkins at Sidney, Me. — Messalonskee Lake 
Date 
Hour 
Locality 
1869 
2 p. m 
Do 
Do 
8 p. m 
Morrisons Brook 
Do 
10* p. m 
Woodcocks Brook 
10.30 a. m 
Do 
2 p. m 
do 
7.20 a. m 
Do 
12 noon 
do 
Do 
2 p. m 
do 
Do.— 
5.15 p. m 
do 
Do 
10.15* p. m 
7.10 a*, m 
do 
Do 
9.28 a. m 
do 
Do 
11.10 a. m 
Do 
1 p. m 
Do 
11.15 p. m 
do 
Apr. 19 
7 p. m 
do 
Do 
9.25 p. m 
do 
10 a. m 
do 
do__ 
Do 
4 p. m 
Apr. 22 
9 a. m 
do 
Do 
6 p. m 
do 
Do 
7 p. m 
Morrisons Brook 
Do 
9 p. m 
Do 
2.30 a. m 
1875 
Apr. 14 
7 p. m 
Mouth Tilson Brook 
Do 
9 p. m 
do 
Temperature, 
° f 
Water 
Air 
37 
33 
38 
32 
33 
35 
33 
34 
32 
32 

' 32 
32 
32 
32 
33 
33 
33 
33 
35 
36 
39 
36 
41 
_.j 
45 
43 
33 
— 
40 
38.5 
29 
Remarks 
First smelt; 10, all males. 
Snow averaged more than 1 foot deep all over the 
fields; brooks very high; season 10 days behind last 
season. Smelts began to run on night of Apr. 12. 
Got 4 or 5 males and 2 females. 
A few smelts, mostly males; only 1 female. 
Rise of 12 inches of water. 
A good many caught to-night, about 2 bushels; 2 
men caught half a bushel. 
Scarcely any smelts taken; succeeded in getting 
spawn to cover 8 dishes. Males yielded but little 
milt. 
Brook very high. 
Water falling. 
Much lower. 
Muddy; only 2 fish caught. 
Much lower. 
Clear and cold. 
