Hatching Out Shad

"Wc are here in the interests of the United States fishing commission," said Capt. Peetmeier, of the United States gunboat Fish-Hawk, now lving at anchor off Gloucester. "We "are hatching shad eggs. The procesa is a simple one. Come this way and I will show you." He led the way to the fore part of the run deck, vvhich was cleared of all implements of war for the reception of somo of tho most scientiflc machinory of peace. In the center of tho deck stood a largo copper tank, containing water constantly changing from the river, but capable ot being stopped when at sea. On one side of this tank stood twelve zinc cones, about three feet in height, with the conical ends downward. A multiplicity of pipes, tubes, valves, and stopcocks showed that the cones were in connection. "This is wore we do the hatching," said Capt. Peetmeier. "These cones are supplied with water from below by tubes from the tank. The supply is roguiatea by a stop-cock at the top and the surplus water escapes though this zine net-work which surrounds the top of each of the conical tanks. Thus we have running water all the time. If we are in a river we allow the surplus to go overboard, but when at sea, it being impossible to get the fresh water necessary for hatchine the eggs, we allow the water to run back into the main tank, and so it keeps on running over and over again. When the seine up is drawn we take the female flsh with roes and force them to discharge the ova by squeezing them. ïhon we take the males and by the same process of squeezing force them to imprégnate the ova. The massis then counted, or rather measured, and put into one of these cones and the water allowed to run." "How do you count the eggs; for 1 seeyou have 160,000 eggs in thiscone. "it is done by measure; so many eggs to an ounee, - a fluid ounco, I mean; say 10,000. Well, there are thirty-two fluid ounces to a quart, therefore there must bo within one or two of 320,000 eggs. We use an ordinary graduated glass druggist Aart measure. It talces frotn one tcfWree days for the eggs to hatch. Then we keep the yoang flsh two or three davs more and then consign thom to their native element. To put them in the river requires considerable care. We gather them into a bucket then lower me duckce mío tne water ana allow the little íellows to swim out. Now iet me show you some of the eggs." Ha took a piece of glasstubo and pushed it into ono of the corneal tanks and, bringing it out, closed each end with a iinger. It was tull of small transparent globular substances, all moving abotii -n the tube and somewhat diflicalt to e at first. "If you look carefully ;it tnem you will see young iish ínside. Mostof them are nearly ready to come out. Thero are also some of tlie yciing fish in this tube. Do you see that tiny globe hanging to each of them? That is the umbilical sac. The young fish feeds upon that up to a certain age and linally absorbs it altogether. You mayseethe same thing attached to the iish still in the eggs. Do you notice how the eyes of the young íish are sparkling. That is bucause thoy aro sick. They havo no air in this tube." "Do they feel the want of it so soon as that?" "O yes. There, I will put them back in their conc; perhaps they may recover. The eggs, you observe, all remain at the bottoni of the tanks, unless I turn the water on hard. That drives them to the top but it isnot good for them, for ithatches them too quickly. Since we have been on the river, some weeks now, we hatched several inillions of eggs, which would have been lost. Of course a vast numbor are halched by the process of nature in the river. But these that we have produced artificially will go a long way toward stocking the fishery, and would have been cookcd and eaten or otherwise destroyeci if we had not stepped in and saved them. We have other tanks lor hatching the eggs - smaller glass ones - but they aro only used when we are very busy. We keep the water running through them by an arrangement of siphons, all leading to a large aquarium. I don't know how long we will remain hero, but I suppose as long as we ean