SOUTHERN CULTIVATOR. 
ir:- 
In order to be successful, both the male and female fish 
must be caught in the very act of spawning. This can 
easily be accomplished with some species, such as the 
Salmon and the Carp, who allow a near approach when 
under this operation ; but we know from experience that 
both our Trout and Perch are wary and wild on such oc- 
casions and dart off even at the moving of a hand. When 
the spawn is to be conveyed to any distance in vessels 
of water, the wMterisaptto become stagnant and the eggs 
are rendered unproductive. We believe it was from 
gome such cause that the experiment* made to stock the 
rivers of Australia with Salmon proved a failure. Packing 
the eggs in boxes containg gravel and the eggs merely 
kept moist and cool might answer the purpose wnth the 
Salmon and other species, that deposit spawm in autumn 
where it remains more than three months before the ova 
are hatched; but this cannot be equally applicable to 
species that require only a short period for incubation. 
Drying the eggs in the shade mixed with sand and then 
packing them in boxes to be sent to a distance would, ac- 
cording to our experience, afford some prospects of suc- 
cess.* We have no doubt that by some of these modes 
Europe and America will, in time, be able to effect an in- 
rerchange of all the fishes that are desirable. All the 
species, however, that we would rear in a pond, are hardy 
*Note. — In 1806 we made an experiment on the spawn 
deposited by the Yellow Perch. It was dried in the shade 
lor 10 days — then placed in the water when it produced a 
considerable number of young fishes. In Carolina we 
made experiments to ascertain in what manner newly 
formed ponds became so soon stocked with the fishes in 
the neighborhood. The following are the results of our 
investigations. We ascertained: 1. That, in high freshets 
young fish run up the streams as far as they can advance 
and are thus often left on dry ground ; but that many of 
I them find their way into the different ponds. 2. That all 
our wadling land birds, called sand birds, yellow shanks, 
plovers, &c., {Tringa, Totanus scolopax, Charadrius, . 
&c.,) greedily devouring the spawn of fishes. This often 
' passes through their bodies in an undigested state, and 
! may, by these swift winged birds, be carried to great dis- 
I lances and transplanted in other ponds. 3 The King- 
i fisher, and the large family of Herons swallow the fish 
I whole and thus the milt and spawn are brought in con- 
I tact in their own bodies and are often expelled before the 
I ova have become digested. In 1832, our friend, Mr. An- 
derson, brought us a pair of the newly discovered large 
species of White Heron {Ardea occidentalu) from Florida. 
They devoured an enormous quantity of all kinds of fish. 
Perceiving that a quantity of ova had passed through them 
[ without decomposition, we placed the contents in the salt 
water, of which a pond was in our enclosure, and from 
this mixture a considerable number of fish was produced 
I in two or three weeks. The most remarkable fact con- 
nected with this last experiment was, that, although we 
had not observed, the particular species of fish which had 
produced the eggs, the three species generally procured 
firom the adjacent mill ponds to feed our Herons were vi- 
viparous, viz: the eggs were retained in the body of the 
fish until the young were brought to life aad then exclud- 
ed alive and active. The species were, 1st, the common 
small salt water Mud Fish {^Fandvlus helerocletus). 2nd. 
Another species, also, called Mud Fish {Hydrarga swam- 
jrina). 3rd. Another diminutive species called Young 
Sheepshead {^Cypronodon variegatus). There are, also, 
two or three other species of viviparous fishes found in the 
fresh waters in Carolina, and a considerable number of 
species along the shores of California and Oregon. 
We have, from time to time, alluded to some of these 
eaperiments in our occasional publications. (Unity of the 
Human Race, pp. 252-254.) 
and, most of them, within our reach. We recommend,, 
therefore, that they be transported alive. A frequeRSt' 
change of water would render their passage safer. A 
cold season is preferable to that of summer. Fishes, 
however, thet are organized like the Shad, Herring, 
Mackerel, »fcc., can never be transported. Where rivers 
or the shores of the ocean are to be stocked with these* 
species, it must be done with the spawn. It should be 
observed that these and all fishes that swim near the sur- 
face of the water have a high standard of respiration and 
a low degree of muscular irritability and a great necessity 
for oxygen. They die as soon as they are removed Gcon:.' . 
the water and their flesh is subject to rapid decomposidbr . 
The immediate cause of this almost instantaneous death v 
has not been satisfactorily accounted for. M. Fleurens, . 
a French Physiologist, has given, as we conceive, the besS. 
solution of this phenomenon. We have nomimediate ac- 
cess to his work, but will quote his general views from., 
recollection. Whilst the fish are in the water the mouti:. 
and gill-covers are opened and shut and the branchial fila- 
ments of the gills are expanded, admitting oxygen. The 
moment a fish is taken from the water, although ths- 
mouth and gill-covers may open and shut, the branchiss 
or gills are not separated, nor are the branchial filaments 
expanded. They are now in a state of collapse. The 
fluid of water is absolutely necessary to their separation 
and extension. The delicate fibres on the gills adhere to- 
gether in a mass. The fish is situated like an air-breath- 
ing animal enclosed in a vaccuum and it dies by suffoca- 
tion, Many fish, when taken out of the water, are affect- 
ed by a spasm, and Crxnch has stated in regard to th«- 
smoothe Serranus (^Serramus cabrilla) found in the Medi- 
terranean, that this spasm never pas-ses off, but is found 
in a state of rigidity and contortion after death. On this, 
contrary, those fishes that swim near the bottom of th® 
water, like the Eel, Cat-Fish, Sucker, Carp, &c., have a. 
low standard of respiration, a high degree of musculac 
irritability and less necessity for oxygen. They survive, 
for a long time after they are taken out of the water and* 
their flesh remains untainted for several days. 
It should be here observed that some individuals among: 
fishes will not breed when removed to a new locality;: 
the young, however, when reared in the pond breed very 
freely. We were, many years ago, informed by Mr. 
Pratt, residing in the vicinity of Philadelphia, the pro- 
prietor of the elegant garden, named after him, that when ■ 
he first introduced the Geld Fish into his pond, not one irr. .. 
twenty deposited spawn for several years, but those born 
in the pond all spawned readily, filling his waters with 
fish, many of which escaped and stocked both the Schuyl • 
kill and the Delaware. 
We believe, from experiments made in Europe and 
others that were carried on near Charleston, that many 
species of salt water fishes can be introduced in fresh 
water ponds. We may possibly give these details on a 
future occasion, if we ever find leisure, which is a scarce 
commodity with us. At present we will simply observe 
that in Europe they have succeeded in naturalizing and 
multiplying in their fresh water lakes and fish ponds, the 
Salmon and the Salmon Trout, the Sole, the Flounder, the 
Bass, {Lcihrax lupus), the Grey Mullet capiio)^ 
and some others. In a fish pond on Charleston Neck, 
where several salt water fishes had, by our advice, been 
placed, several species seemed to thrive. We recollect 
among the rest, our Southern Black Fish, 
atrarius) -, the Mullet {Mugil albula), and one of oui 
species of Flat Fish or Plaice (Platessa). We regret that 
we neglected to ascertain whether they had multiplied in 
the pond; we observed, however, that the Mullet had 
grown to a large size. We would be pleased to hear of 
experiments made to naturalize our Rock Fish and Sea 
Bass, 
