ing business by the sale of fish for breeding purposes. Mr. Poppe has kindly sent me some specimens of his fish. These are scale carp, apparently somewhat hybridized; at least, they do not present the characteristics of the pure breed brought by Mr. Hessel. Information in regard to any other experiments in this direction will be gladly received, especially if accompanied by specimens of the fish for the identification of the variety.

The European Tench (Tinca vulgaris).

Fully appreciating the tenacity of life of the tench, and the readiness of its acclimatization in foreign waters, as shown by the prodigious success of experiments with it in Australia, I requested Mr. Hessel, on his return from the last trip to Europe, to bring with him as large a number as possible; and these have also been placed in Druid Hill Park. The especial value of this fish is in the fact that as the water in a given pond dries up or flows off, it buries itself in the mud, and if this is kept sufficiently moist it will remain in perfectly good condition, while, perhaps, the ground above it may become hard and parched, requiring only the return of the water to its bed to permit its emergence. Indeed, it is said that in some places when the pond is dry and the fish is needed, it is dug out like potatoes from a hill. The fish will be distributed together with the carp, as there is nothing incompatible in their occupying the same waters.

A few special varieties of what is known as the golden tench were obtained, and will be propagated; but they have no special value beyond their abnormal color.

The Golden Ide (Idus melanotus var. auratus).

A large cyprinoid fish in Germany, known as Idus melanotys, attaining sometimes a weight of three or four pounds, has, within a few years past, been developed into a golden or red variety, corresponding with that of the gold-fish, but much more beautiful in shape and larger in size. As compared with the gold-fish it has the merit of swimming about on the surface of the water, and being more active in its movements. Mr. Hessel brought with him on the trip just referred to, a large number of the ides, the increase from which will also be distributed in due course of time.

The Sea Herring (Clupea elongata).

The question of the propagation of the sea herring (Clupea elongata) is one of considerable economical importance, although less prominent in this country than in Europe, as its capture does not occupy so large a part of the American fisheries. Here its most important application is as fresh bait for cod, halibut, &c. The fact that herring eggs are very adhesive, and attach themselves firmly to all objects which they touch, makes it impossible to apply the same methods as with the salmon and the shad, the eggs of which are non-adhesive to each other or to other

substances, and can readily be manipulated by the approved apparatus. Indeed, it has been found that wherever the eggs of the herring adhere in bunches the central eggs almost always fail of development.

The details of the operation of spawning among the sea herring are not well ascertained, but probably are prosecuted as with most fishes, the fish, either in pairs or in masses of both sexes, coming together and discharging the eggs at intervals, accompanied by a discharge of the milt. This being done in the open sea, the eggs are immediately carried off by the current, and ultimately fall to the bottom, unless they happen to come in contact with some substance floating in the water. Where vessels are anchored on the spawning-grounds of the herring it is very common for the eggs to attach themselves to the cable, sometimes increasing its thickness many fold.

During a visit in 1872 to the spawning-grounds of the sea herring at the southern end of Grand Menan, I found, in working the dredge, that sea-weed and pebbles brought up at depths of from five to twenty or thirty fathoms or even more were thickly studded with single eggs of the sea herring, rarely more than two or three being close together. These circumstances were most favorable for development, while their adhesion saved them from many of the dangers of destruction by fishes, &c., to which floating eggs are liable. The experiment of artificial propagation was not tried in this connection, although a supply of eggs was taken to Eastport and their development carefully studied in the laboratory.

On the 13th of November, 1877, Mr. Vinal N. Edwards, an employé of the Fish Commission, while at Noman's Land, engaged in studying the natural history of the spawning cod, took the occasion to artificially impregnate a number of eggs of the sea herring and hatch them out in a floating hatching-box. These eggs hatched in eleven days, the young emerging on the 24th of November. He found the yolk-bag much more sessile than that of the shad. Where the eggs were in clusters they did not ripen, only when placed singly on sea-weed. Kelp seemed to be the best medium for their development.

Experiments were also made in 1877 by Dr. H. A. Meyer, of Kiel, on this same subject, and the results published by him in a Circular of the Deutsche Fisherei-Verein.

To make a success of the artificial impregnation of the herring it will be necessary to adopt some treatment quite different from that with the salmon and shad, and it is doubtful whether the work can ever be done on the same wholesale scale and with the same economy. Probably the best method will be to drop the eggs on glass plates or sheets of wire gauze, the former being preferable on account of the greater facility of keeping the eggs clean.

The specific gravity of the eggs of the herring, which sink to the bottom, is evidently much greater than that of the eggs of the mackerel or cod, which it is well known float persistently at the top. For a judicious

prosecution of the work of hatching various species of fish it will be very desirable to have careful experiments instituted beforehand on this subject. It is well known that the eggs of the shad, trout, and salmon are heavier than fresh water, as their tendency is to sink to the bottom of the vessels in which they are kept. Their specific gravity is probably quite constant in the same species, although possibly differing somewhat in the different stages of development.

Mr. Milner has furnished a memorandum to the effect that in five lots of eggs of the California salmon, tested on the 29th of January, 1878, and some of them well impregnated, the specific gravity varied from 1.07 to 1.09, two samples giving the first figure and three the second. He found that in brook trout treated on the same day, among which a few were hatching prematurely, the density of the two lots varied from 1.156 to 1.159, showing a very appreciably greater density in the latter. I would commend to persons who have facilities for making similar investigations, to determine the difference between the density of the unimpregnated egg, the freshly impregnated egg, and the same series of eggs at different stages of growth, including that of the recently hatched embryo.

The European Turbot and Sole (Rhombus maximus and Solea vulgaris).

It is a well-established fact that the United States, in the abundance and variety of first-class food-fishes is greatly in advance of any single country in Europe, even of Great Britain, since, while possessing the various species of the cod family, the halibut, mackerel, herring, &c., in common with them, America can show the Spanish mackerel, the pompano, the channel bass, the weak-fish, and many other species of eatable qualities. Any assertion of this superiority on the part of the United States is met by the assurance that in the lack of the turbot and sole, America is without the two finest of all species. There is no question as to the excellence of these fish, especially of the sole, although in the new Pole or Craig flounder, a deep-sea fish discovered by the United States Fish Commission in such enormous abundance off the coast of Massachusetts in 1877, we have what will measurably replace the turbot; and several of our species of flat fish are scarcely, if at all, inferior to the sole.

The importance of having these two European species in our own waters has, however, been suggested to the United States Fish Commission, and it was concluded to take such steps as might be possible to obtain them. Among the gentlemen particularly interested in this transfer was Mr. J. G. Kidder, of Boston, who kindly offered his services with the Cunard Steamship Line from Boston to secure free passage for the fish and their attendant from Liverpool to Boston. He accordingly obtained letters from the agent of the line at Boston to the directors in Liverpool which accomplished their desired object.

Reference has already been made to the agency of Mr. Fred Mather

in the transportation of California salmon to Europe. That gentleman was instructed to proceed to Liverpool and obtain a supply of the turbot and sole, suitable for transfer, to be brought back to Boston on the Cunard steamer, with such facilities as he could obtain on that occasion. A correspondence had been entered upon some time before with Mr. F. Moore, the accomplished curator of the Free Public Museum of Liverpool, who made many inquiries as to the proper localities and the best mode of obtaining these fish.

Mr. Mather reached Liverpool on the 17th of November, and, reporting himself to Mr. Moore, found that gentleman had invoked the assistance of the authorities of the great aquarium of Southport. Proceeding to this place, Mr. Mather was received very cordially by Mr. John Long, the superintendent of the aquarium; but owing to the inclemency of the weather it was impossible to obtain any number of fish, and in order to have a proper supply it was necessary to secure the further services of some of the fishermen. Unfortunately the weather, after Mr. Mather's arrival, proved to be exceptionally stormy, and the few fish obtained were so badly bruised that they died shortly after being introduced into the tanks of the Southport aquarium. There was some question in regard to Mr. Mather's free passage in the shipment of the fish, and it was not until the 3d of January that the shipment was actually made. This consisted of six turbot and twenty-six soles, the vessel upon which they were placed being the Siberia, of the Cunard line, Captain McKay commanding. Mr. Mather, with his precious charge, experienced a series of accidents on the voyage homeward. In the first place the tanks were found to have been placed in such proximity to the steam heating pipes that the water soon rose to a temperature of 72°, much higher than is suited to this fish. On arriving within sight of Cape Cod, on the 16th of January, only two soles survived, and after consultation with the captain as to a suitable place of deposit, it was concluded to place them overboard, and they were accordingly left at a point on the Stelwagen Bank, two miles off Nahant, in 18 fathoms of water, the surface temperature be ng 310.

It is hoped that, as in the case of the shipment of California salmon, the experience thus gained will enable us to avoid a failure on another occasion. Mr. Mather is of the opinion that by keeping the temperature at as low a degree as possible one of the most serious dangers may be avoided. He does not recommend anything in the way of gravel or sand in the tanks, as the fish would be liable to abrasion, in the motion of the vessel. He also recommends that the fish, before such transportation, should be kept in captivity and fed for at least one month, as this will show whether the act of capturing has in any way injured the fish.

Anticipating the occasion of taking these fish from the wharf at Boston for deposit at some suitable point in the harbor, application was made to the Treasury Department for the service of the revenue-cutter,

and instructions were given to the collector of customs at Boston, Mr. C. B. Simmons, to supply this and such facilities as were required. Every assurance was received from Mr. Simmons of his willingness to co-operate; and the steamer, the revenue-cutter Grant, was in readiness on the arrival of the English steamer; but, as it proved, the deposit of the two surviving fish had already been made.

It is, of course, impossible to tell whether from a single pair of fish any yield may be expected. The fact is, however, now one of record, that soles have been actually transported and introduced into American waters. Mr. Mather's account of his experiences on this trip will be found in the Appendix.