1 
 
 Sonderabclruck aus: Internal. Bevue d. ges. Hydrobiol. u. Hydrogr., Bd. V, H. 4. 
 
 Recent American literature on Freshwater biology. 
 
 By C. Juday (Madison). 
 
 216) Doolittle, A. A., Descriptions of Recently Discovered Cladocera 
 from New England. Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. 1911, vol. XLl, p. 161—170, 
 pi. 13—19. 
 
 The author gives a detailed description of Parophyoxus tubulatus, 
 which represents a new genus as well as a new species, and Chydorus 
 bicornutus, nov. sp. 
 
 217) Greene, C. W., The Migration of Salmon in the Columbia River. 
 Bull. Bur. Fisheries 1911, vol. XXIX, p. 131—148. 
 
 In a preliminary experiment, 59 specimens of salmon, representing 
 3 different species (25 Oncorhynchus tschawytscha, 16 0. kisutch, 
 
450 
 
 Laiiderreferate (Nordamerika). 
 
 18 Salmo gairdiieri) were obtained near the mouth of the Columbia river, 
 were marked with aluminum tags, and were then liberated at the point 
 where they were captured. Only 17 individuals, however, were retaken and 
 reported. From the preliminary data, the author reaches the tentative con¬ 
 clusions a) that salmon may take from 30 to 40 days to pass through the 
 brackish waters at the mouth of the river, considerable time being spent in 
 swimming back and forth in tide water during acclimatization to fresh-water; 
 b) that, after reaching fresh water, 0. kisutch and S. gairdneri ascend 
 the liver at an average speed of from 9,5 km to 12,0 km per clay. 
 
 218) Haiikiiisoii, T. L., An Ecological Study of the Fish of a Small 
 
 Stream. Trans Ill. Acad. Sc. 1910, vol. Ill, p. 1—8, 1 pi. 
 
 The author is studying the fish fauna of a small stream which he de¬ 
 signates as Campus creek. Throughout most of its course the stream is 
 broken into a series of pools with intervening narrows or broad shoals. The 
 average depth of the pools is a little more than half a' meter. Seventeen 
 species of fish have been found in the creek; but only seven are common 
 and permanent inhabitants. 
 
 The chief problem is to determine the type of habitat preferred by each 
 species and its relation to the surroundings. 
 
 The author finds it difficult to determine which are the preferred habi¬ 
 tats because there are not only annual and seasonal variations in local dis¬ 
 tribution, but also daily and even hourly ones. The more obvious factors 
 affecting local distribution are barriers, the current, food, temperature and 
 shore vegetation. 
 
 A barrier at the mouth of Campus creek prevents the entrance of fish 
 from the stream into which it flows, except during unusually high water. 
 Leaf dams sometimes form in the stream at various points and serve as 
 barriers to upward migration. The common species of fish occupy the pools 
 during the daytime but the shoals with rapidly moving water constitute 
 their cheif nocturnal habitats. The current also affects distribution indi¬ 
 rectly by. affecting the bottom topography of the stream. The direct effects 
 of food and the temperature of the water on distribution, have not yet been 
 worked out. The shore vegetation contributes to the formation of overhan¬ 
 ging banks which afford hiding places. 
 
 219) Morgan, Aim. H., May-flies of Fall Creek. Ann. Entomo. Soc. Amer. 
 1911, vol. IV, p. 93—119, pi. 6—12. 
 
 Fall creek, which forms one of the boundaries of the campus at Cor¬ 
 nell University, has an abundant May-fly fauna. 
 
 The author studied represenatives of 17 different genera, especial atten¬ 
 tion being given to the life history, to the habits of both imagoes and 
 nymphs, and to the structural adaptations of various nymphs. The change 
 of nymphs to sub-imagoes was observed in Blasturus cupidus Say; tlie 
 mating flight of Ephemera simulans Walker, Blasturus cupidus Say, 
 and Leptophlebia praepedita Etn; the egg-laying of Baetis pygmca 
 Hagen; and the burrowing movements of Hexagenia variabilis Eaton. 
 
Landerreferate (Nordamerika). 
 
 451 
 
 The nymphs of the Heptageninae are found only in the rapid waters and 
 they show structural adaptations which i reduce their resistance to the cur¬ 
 rent. No male specimens of Ameletus ludens Need were found and it is 
 suggested that this species may present a case of ])arthenogenesis. 
 
 220) Smith, B. Gr., The Nests and Larvae of Necturus. Biol. Bull. 1911, 
 vol. XX, p. 191—200. 
 
 The eggs of Necturus were found attached singly to the bottom of 
 large flat stones in Lake Monona where the water was 1 m to 1,5 m deep. 
 The eggs averaged about 66 per nest and they hatched either the latter part 
 of June or early in July. 
 
 In color the larvae are dark brown on the dorsal and lateral surfaces 
 with a conspicious light yellow dorsolateral longitudinal stripe. The ventral 
 surface is pale yellow, almost transparent. The color pattern reaches its 
 maximum development in specimens having a body length of about 55 mm; 
 from this time on there is a gradual change to adult color characters. 
 
 2 ! 21 ) Forbes, S. A., Chemical and Biological Investigations on the 
 Illinois River, Midsummer 1911. Ill. State Lab. of Nat. Hist. 1911, 
 p. 1—9. 
 
 Investigations were undertaken to learn as much as possible concerning 
 the breeding grounds and habits of the more important fishes of the central 
 part of the Illinois river. The most important breeding ground discovered 
 has an area of about 240 ha and careful estimates show that carp may 
 deposit about one and a half billion eggs here during a single favorable 
 season. A large amount of decaying organic matter is found on this bree¬ 
 ding ground and fungous growths derived from this source cause a loss of 
 90 to 98 per cent, of the eggs. The largemouth black bass breeds to a 
 certain extend on this ground also but the loss among its eggs from fun¬ 
 gous growths is not so great because this fish builds a nest, clearing away 
 the rubbish before the eggs are deposited. 
 
 The quantity of plankton found in the river in 1909 was between two 
 and three times as much as it was previous to the opening of the drainage 
 canal. Through this drainage canal and through the.Des Plaines river, the 
 Illinois river receives a very large amount of sewage from Chicago and its 
 suburbs, and investigations were made to determine the effect of this on the 
 dissolved oxygen content of the water. In July and August 1911 it was 
 found that more than 40 km of the upper portion of the Illinois river ser¬ 
 ved as a septic basin, containing a large amount of sewage in an advanced 
 state of decomposition. The gases arising from this decomposing material 
 were identical in composition with those obtained from septic tanks of se¬ 
 wage systems. 
 
 Only a small amount of dissolved oxygen was found in this portion of 
 the river, the averages being from 7,5 to 9,8 per cent, of the amount re¬ 
 quired for saturation, with a minimum of 0,5 per cent., and a maximum 
 of 21. No fishes were found in this section of the river. At the lower end 
 of this section the water flowed over a dam about 4 m high which helped 
 
452 
 
 Laiiderreferate (Nordamerika). 
 
 to aerate it, yet a little more than a kilometer below this dam the water 
 contained only 24,8 per cent, of the oxygen necessary for saturation. From 
 lliis point on down the river as far as tests were made, about 108 km. 
 below the dam, the dissolved oxygen gradually increased in amount, reaching 
 a maximum of only 49 per cent, of saturation, howewer, at the point far¬ 
 thest down stream where samples were taken. 
 
 After the work had been in progress for some time a rain fell which 
 was heavy enough to cause the water to rise a few centimeters. This flood 
 water brought in a large amount of decomposable matter besides the sewage, 
 and the decay of this additional organic matter caused a decrease of about 
 50 per cent, in the oxygen content of the water. 
 
 222) Scott, Will, The Fauna of a solution Pond. Proc. Ind. Acad. Sc. 
 
 1910 (1911), p. 395—448. 
 
 The pond on which this faunal study was made is situated near the 
 crest of an old monadnock and is isolated from similar bodies of water, 
 the nearest being more than 3 km. distant. It is oval in shape, being about 
 21m. long by 17 m. wide, and has a maximum depth of a little more than 
 1 m. The basin occupied by the pond was formed by the solution of lime¬ 
 stone; the outlet of the original sinkhole became obstructed and the basin 
 filled with water, forming a pond. This body of water is gradually beco¬ 
 ming extinct, the maximum depth being a little more than 2 m. in 1887. 
 The deposition of plant debris and silt are the chief factors concerned in tlie 
 destruction of the pond. 
 
 The observations on this pond were made between October, 1908 and 
 May, 1911. Plankton catches were made by means of a pump and hose. 
 The protozoa were represented by a number of forms, the rhizopod Difflu- 
 gia and flagellate Euglena being most abundant. The former reached a 
 maximum number of 398 per liter and Euglena viridis, 275. Ten species 
 of rotifers were found, — Anuraea aculeata, Hydatina senta, and 
 Monostyla lunaris being the most abundant forms. The rotifer population 
 was small in winter and showed a marked development during the latter 
 part of April. Cyclops showed two maxima, a slight one in April and an 
 enormous one in August. Simocephalus vetulus was numerous at all 
 seasons. Alona quadrangularis was present in small numbers in 1910, 
 and a few Daphne pulex were found in spring and early summer. 
 
 A number of aquatic insects and aquatic insect larvae were found from 
 time to time and three species of gastropods were present. 
 
 The summer of 1908 was very dry and during the drouth the pond 
 dried up, thus giving the author an opportunity to study the development of 
 its new fauna. The wind and water-birds are considered as very important fac¬ 
 tors in restocking the pond. 
 
 The food relations of the various forms were studied. Material was 
 collected from other solution ponds for comparison, but this part of the work 
 has not been completed. 
 
 223) Sliellord, V. E., Ecological Succession. I. Stream Fishes and 
 
 the Method of Physiographic Analysis. Biol. Bull. 1911, vol. XXI, 
 
Landerreferate (Nordamerika). 
 
 458 
 
 p. 9—35. — II. Pond Fishes. Ibid., p. 127—151. — III. A recon¬ 
 naissance of its Causes in Ponds with Particular Reference 
 to Fish. Ibid., vol. XXII, p. 1—38. 
 
 While experimenting on the modification of the taxonomic characters of 
 tiger beetles, the author’s attention was called to the striking relations of 
 these beetles to environmental complexes and he began to study animal eco¬ 
 logy. The first problem taken up was the distribution of various species of 
 fishes in several streams which differ in character and age. 
 
 Ecological succession is defined as the “succession of ecological types 
 (physiological types, modes of life) over a given locality, due to changes of 
 environmental conditions at that point”. That is, as a stream grows older 
 and develops a larger and larger valley, the physiographic or environmental 
 conditions of a certain locality will change and this environmental change 
 will be accompanied by a change in the fish fauna. In other words, fishes 
 have definite habitat preferences. The first fishes to invade a young stream 
 will be found at the headwaters of older streams. 
 
 The same species will be represented in substantially the same order in 
 neighboring streams which possess a similar series of environmental con¬ 
 ditions. 
 
 The author thinks that the migration of conditions for breeding is an 
 important factor in causing the breeding migration of fishes, but reactions 
 outside the breeding season may often be more important than this factor. 
 
 For ecological succession in ponds, the author studied the fish fauna 
 of a series of ponds which are situated at the southern end of Lake Michi¬ 
 gan. These ponds are found between a series of ridges representing old 
 beaches of the ancient Lake Chicago, which existed in the glacial period du¬ 
 ring the retreat of the ice from this region. These ridges were formed in 
 successive stages in the history of Lalce Chicago and therefore they, as well 
 as the ponds between them, are arranged in the order of their age, the ol¬ 
 dest being furthest from Lake Michigan. The age of the ponds is determi¬ 
 ned by their physiographic history, by the relative amount of humus and 
 bare bottom, and by the quality and quantity of vegetation. A study of 
 the fishes inhabiting these ponds shows that the various species are arran¬ 
 ged in an orderly fashion. That is, species requiring clean, pure water and 
 little vegetation, are found in the youngest ponds, while only those species 
 will be found in the oldest ponds which are able to live in the presence of 
 large accumulations of vegetable debris and dense growths of aquatic vege¬ 
 tation, and intermediate forms will be found between these extremes. 
 
 The author reaches the conclusion that the horizontal series of fish 
 communities represented in these ponds is ecologically representative of the 
 succession of fish communities within the older ponds — the ponds of dif¬ 
 ferent ages thus representing stages in the history of older ponds. 
 
 In the third paper of this series the author considers Ihe causes of the 
 ecological succession of fishes and other organisms in the ponds mentioned 
 in the second paper. For this purpose the physical character of the ponds, 
 the substances dissolved in the water, and the biological content, were stu¬ 
 died. It was found that size, depth, temperature, and quantity of substan¬ 
 ces naturally dissolved in the water, except oxygen, did not enter as factors 
 
454 
 
 Ijanderreferate (Nordamerika). 
 
 ill determining the distribution and succession of fishes. Likewise the qua¬ 
 lity of the food had no influence. Two sets of observations showed that 
 bacteria were more abundant in the older ponds than in the young ones, 
 and six sets of plankton catches gave larger numbers of Crustacea for the 
 former. 
 
 The older ponds had a larger amount of vegetafion and the decay of 
 this organic material caused a decrease of the oxygen content of their waters. 
 The bottom water of the oldest pond contained very little or no dissolved 
 oxygen during the breeding season. This would cause the destruction of 
 some of the fish eggs deposited by some of the fishes on the bottom, and 
 other aquatic animals might be affected in the same way, hence animal 
 succession. 
 
 224) House, J. L., Crustacea of Winona Lake. Proc. Ind. Ac. Sc. 1910 
 (1911), p. 129—133. 
 
 During the months of July and August, 1908 and 1909, the author 
 made a study of the crustacean fauna of Winona Lake, Indiana. The ento- 
 mostraca consisted of 21 species of cladocera, 17 species of copepods, one 
 of which was parasitic, and one ostracod. The larger Crustacea consisted 
 of three species of crayfishes, one amphipod, and two isopods. 
 
 225) Turner, C. H., Ecological notes on the Cladocera and Copepoda 
 of Augusta, Georgia, with descriptions of new or little known 
 species. Trans. Acad. Sci. of St. Louis, Dec. 31, 1910, Vol. XXIX, 
 p. 151—176, Pis. XXXVI—XXXVIIL 
 
 Collections of micro-crustacea were made regularly for a period of more 
 than a year in artificial ponds, creeks, marshes, and ditches in the vicinity 
 of Augusta, Georgia. The material yielded 39 species in all, 15 copepoda 
 and 24 cladoceia. The species, Diaptomus augustaensis and Bosmia 
 reversaspina, are descriped as new. Tables are given, showing the asso¬ 
 ciations of the various forms, the distribution according to temperature, and 
 distribution according to habitat. 
 
 Not a single cladoceran was found which bore winter eggs, in spite of 
 the fact that many of the collections were made in w^ater having a tempe¬ 
 rature only a little above zero, the water being covered with a thin layer 
 of ice in some instances. 
 
 226) Parker, H. N., Note on a growth of Sinura in Lake Cochituate. 
 Trans. Amer. Micro. Soc. 1911, Vol. XXX, p. 141—144. 
 
 The author describes an unusual growth of Synura which was found 
 in Lake Cochituate between August 6 and September 21, 1900. The or¬ 
 ganism was not found nearer the surface than 4,5 m. nor deeper than 12 m. 
 JTie limitation to this zone of the lake is attributed to temperature. No 
 specimens of Synura were found in water which had a temperature above 
 19,2® C. nor below 6,4®. The maximum number was at 8 m. to 9 m. where 
 the temperature was 9,2® to 10,4®. The growth terminated suddenly but the 
 cause of the termination could not be determined. 
 
Landerreferate (Nordamerika). 
 
 455 
 
 227) Elrod, M. J., The Lakes of the Glacier National Park. Trans. 
 Amer. Micro. Soc. December 1910, Vol. XXIX, p. Ill—116, pis. IV—VI. 
 Ibid. January 1912, Vol. XXX, p. 11—16, pis. II—IV. 
 
 Glacier National Park is situated in the northwestern part of Montana and 
 comprises a rugged, mountainous country with some peaks reaching an alti¬ 
 tude of more than 3 000 meters. About 250 bodies of water, varying in 
 size from mere tarns to those which have a maximum length of 20 kilo¬ 
 meters, are found in this area. Some of these lakes were visited by the 
 author in 1909 and 1910 and a general account of the physical and bio¬ 
 logical observations on Avalanche and Louise lakes is given in these articles. 
 
 228) Howland, Ruth B., Migration of retinal pigment in the eyes of 
 Branchipus gelidus. Journ. Exp. Zool. 1911, Vol. XI, p. 143—158. 
 Light and darkness produce a readjustment of the pigment granules in 
 
 the eye of this crustacean rather than a proximal and distal migration. 
 Changes in the intensity of the light had no effect on the distal pigment. 
 When exposed to bright sunlight or diffuse daylight, the pigment granules 
 collect closely around the rhabdoms, while in the dark the granules move 
 laterally and become more evenly distributed through the cytoplasm of the 
 retinular cells. It requires from four and a half to five hours to complete 
 this readjustment. Variations in temperature from 5,5^ to 17^ have no ap¬ 
 preciable effect on the migration of pigment. Branchipus gelid us is posi¬ 
 tively phototropic but when exposed to light after remaining in the dark for 
 five hours it is negative. 
 
 229) McGinnis, Mary 0., Reactions of Branchipus serratus to light, 
 heat, and gravity. Jour. Exp. Zool. 1911, Vol. X, p. 227^—240. 
 
 The author found that Branchipus serratus is positively phototropic 
 
 to lights varying in intensity from 12 to 280 candle power and they still 
 remained so after being kept in the dark from 12 hours to six weeks. The 
 vibrations of the swimming feet increase in number with increase in the in¬ 
 tensity of the light, thus showing an apparent kinetic effect of light. The 
 eyes appear to be the only sense organs capable of being stimulated by 
 light. The animal responds positively to temperatures of 14® to 17® and 
 avoids temperatures above or below this; a temperature of 28® is fatal. The 
 geotropic reactions are positive in light and negative in darkness. 
 
 230) Shull, A. Franklin, Studies in the life cycle of Hydatina senta. 
 IL The role of temperatures, of chemical composition of the 
 medium, and internal factors upon the ratio of partheno- 
 genetic to sexual forms. Jour. Exp. Zool., February 1911, Vol. X, 
 p. 117—166. III. Internal factors influencing the proportion 
 of male-producers. Ibid., February 1912, Vol. XII, p. 283—317. 
 The first paper gives an account of the results of a series of experi¬ 
 ments which were made for the purpose of determining the effect of both 
 external and internal factors on the relative number of parthenogenetic and 
 sexual individuals produced. With respect to external factors, the author 
 
 Revue d. ges. Hydrobiol. u. Hydrogr. Bd. V. H. 4. 30 
 
456 
 
 Landerreferate (Nordamerika). 
 
 found that the proportion of male-producers was practically the same at the 
 average temperatures of 20^ and 24,5® C. but at 10® the proportion of male- 
 producers was decidedly higher in many cases than at 20®. In one case it 
 was lower. The appearance of male-producers may be wholly prevented by 
 employing a solution of horse-manure and boiling this solution does not 
 affect the results. The following substances reduce the proportion of male- 
 producers: Urea, amonium hydroxid, amonium chlorid, amonium carbonate, 
 amonium nitrate, beef extract, and creatin. The effect of a high degree of 
 alkalinity was not very marked and the results were not uniform but it 
 seemed to decrease the number of male-producers sometimes. 
 
 With respect to internal factors, it was found that two pure lines, en¬ 
 tirely unrelated, gave a constant difference in the proportion of male-produ¬ 
 cers, even when exposed to the same external conditions. When a member 
 of one of these lines was crossed with a member of the other, the offspring 
 gave a higher proportion of male-producers, no difference which of the ori¬ 
 ginal lines furnished the female parent. The zygote resulting from the mating 
 of a member of a pure line derived from the crosses with a member of one 
 of the original parent lines, gave rise to a line of offspring having a pro¬ 
 portion of male-producers intermediate between-those of the two parent lines 
 of this zygote. 
 
 The second paper deals with internal factors exclusively. The author 
 found that long continued parthenogenesis results in a progressive decrease 
 of male-producers in some lines of these rotifers, perhaps in all, and a pro¬ 
 gressive decrease in the size of family of some lines. There seems to be no 
 correlation between decrease in size of family and decrease in proportion of 
 male-producers, however. The time required for the hatching of fertilized 
 eggs varies from a few days to many weeks, but the length of time does 
 not seem to be correlated with the proportion of male-producers in the par- 
 thenogenetic line derived from the egg. Measured by size of family, eggs 
 requiring a long time to hatch do not produce as vigorous offspring as early 
 hatching eggs. All fertilized eggs produce females which are all female pro¬ 
 ducers. Whether a female derived from a parthenogenetic egg is to become 
 a male-producer or a female-producer is irrevocably determined during the 
 growth period of the egg, as far as manure solution is concerned. Sex is 
 determined during the previous generation. 
 
 231) Wodsedalek, J. E., Phototactic reactions and their reversal in 
 the May-fly nymphs Heptagenia interpunctata (Say). Biol. Bull. 
 1911, Vol. XXI, p. 265—271. 
 
 The author found that practically all nymphs are negatively phototactic 
 to daylight and to the light obtained from a sixteen candlepower lamp, but 
 different individuals vary in the intensity of their negative response. 
 
 Various chemicals changed the response to light from negative to positive. 
 Acids were most effective, salts less so, and alkalies are least effective in 
 reversing the response to light. 
 
 232) Coker, R. E. and Surbar, T., A note on the metamorphosis of the 
 musselLami)silislaevissimus. Biol. Bull. 1911, Vol. XX, p. 129—182,1 pi. 
 
Landerreferate (Nordamerika). 
 
 457 
 
 The glochidium of Lampsilis laevissimus belongs to the “axe-head” 
 type. The larva increases markedly in size and undergoes a change in form 
 during the parasitic stage. 
 
 233) Isely, F. B., Preliminary note on the ecology of the early 
 Juvenile life of the Unionidae. Biol. Bull. 1911, Vol. XX, p. 77 
 bis 80. 
 
 The most favorable environment for the growth and early development 
 of the Uniondae must possess the following factors: An abundance of dis¬ 
 solved oxygen, sufficient food, fishes which make suitable hosts, and freedom 
 from shifting sand and accumulations of silt. i 
 
 234) Galloway, T. W., The common fresh-water Oligocheta of the 
 United States. Trans. Amer. Micro. Soc. October 1911, Vol. XXX, 
 p. 285 — 317. 
 
 The autor gives directions for collecting, rearing, and making permanent 
 preparations of oligochetes. These are followed by a description of the various 
 structures used in distinguising the different species and by synoptical keys 
 to the common genera and species. 
 
 235) Bean, B. A. and Weed C. A., Notes on the coloration of fishes. 
 Proc. Biol. Soc. of Washington 1911, Vol. XIV, p. 69—76. 
 
 The authors describe the various color changes made by several species 
 of fishes which were kept in aquaria for exhibition purposes. 
 
 236) Cockerell, T. D. A., The scales of Freshwater Fishes. Biol. Bull. 
 1911, Vol. XX, p. 367—376. 
 
 The author studied the form and sculpture of the scales of a number 
 of freshwater fishes representing various groups. He found that generally 
 the scales possess characters which are of considerable taxonomic importance, 
 but frequently the characters are deceptive owing to convergence, individual 
 variations and difference in age. 
 
 237) Jordan, D. S. and Everraann, B. W., A review of the Salmo- 
 noid Fishes of the Great Lakes with notes on the White- 
 fishes of other regions. Bull. Bur. Fish. 1911, Vol. XXIX, p. 1—42, 
 VII col. pis. 
 
 This review of the salmonoid fishes of the Great Lakes is based on a 
 large collection of material obtained in 1908 and 1909 during investigations 
 by the International Fisheries Commission. Descriptions of the various species 
 found in the different lakes are given and a synoptical key is given for the 
 species belonging to the genus Leucichthys. The material shows that each 
 lake has one or more species of the group called lake herrings or ciscoes 
 peculiar to itself. 
 
 238) Seal, W. P., Breeding Habits of the Viviparous Fishes Gam- 
 busia holbrooki and Heterandria formosa. Proc. Biol. Soc. of 
 Washington 1911, Vol. XXIV, p. 91—96, 1 pi. 
 
458 
 
 Landerreferate (Nordamerika). 
 
 Specimens of these small fishes were kept in aquaria and their breeding 
 liabits were observed for several seasons. During the mating period the female 
 resents the advances of the male and attacks him vigorously, these attacks 
 sometimes proving fatal. The females give birth to young at intervals which 
 may vary from several minutes to as many hours. The number of young 
 extruded each time varies from two to 12. Two generations may be pro¬ 
 duced in one season. 
 
 239) P., Papers on Freshwater Aquiculture Presented Be¬ 
 
 fore the Fourth International Fishery Congress. Washington. 
 
 Bull. Bur. Fish. 1910, Vol. XXVlll. 
 
 The various papers relating to freshwater aquiculture cover a rather wide 
 range of subjects, treating more particularly of the habits, propagation, food, 
 parasites, and diseases of fishes, and the propagation of mussels. With respect 
 to the habits of fishes Reighard gives a very interesting account of the ap¬ 
 paratus and methods employed by himself in studying various species. He 
 describes a reflecting water-glass which is used in observing the fishes, and 
 a reflecting camera which is used for photographing objects under water. 
 Tlie second part of the paper consists of an illustrative example of the 
 method of observation, being an account of the breeding habits of the horned 
 dace (Semotilus atromaculatus). The male builds the nest and guards 
 it. The female may deposit all her eggs in one nest or she may deposit 
 them in several. During the spawning act the male throws the female into 
 a vertical position with her head up and her body is encircled by his. This 
 spawning embrace lasts for a fraction of a second, during which time from 
 25 to 50 eggs are laid and fertilized. When the male has completed his 
 nest he deserts it and it rapidly becomes covered with silt and is not easily 
 distinguished from the surrounding bottom. 
 
 Gill’s paper is a plea for observation of the habits of fishes. He calls 
 attention to a number of errors that have been made by undue generalizations 
 and points out that one cannot assume that closely related forms have si¬ 
 milar habits. 
 
 Vincent, fish culturist of the Trocadero Aquarium at Paris, describes a 
 number of devices for use in fish hatcheries and aquaria. He gives descrip¬ 
 tions of an artificial pond with a siphoid outlet for regulating the height of 
 tlie water, apparatus for cleaning hatching and rearing troughs as well as 
 ponds and aquaria, an oxygenating and vacuum producing apparatus, and a 
 scraper for preparing fish food. 
 
 Seal reports that experiments with various species of fishes show that 
 a combination of the goldfish, the roach or shiner, two species of sunfishes 
 wliich live among plants, and top minnows would probably prove to be more 
 effective than other species in preventing the growth of mosquito larvae, 
 especially of the genus Anopheles in pools and ponds used for the culti¬ 
 vation of ornamental aquatic plants. 
 
 In experiments made for the purpose of determining the best food for 
 young salmonoid fishes, Atkins found that the young of Atlantic salmon 
 gained much faster in weight when fed on fly larvae than when fed on 
 cliopped meat (chiefly butcher’s offal), the difference being 53 per cent, in 
 
Landerreferate (Nordamerika). 
 
 459 
 
 favor of the former food. A second test showed a difference of 27 per cent, 
 in favor of the fly larvae. A similar comparison between several lots of the 
 young landlocked salmon showed only a slight difference in favor of the fly 
 larvae. Several commercial foods were tested and were found to be unfit 
 for the young of salmonoid fishes. Experiments on 18 lots of brook trout 
 showed that those fed on chopped hearts and lungs of hogs grew most ra¬ 
 pidly. Those fed on chopped fresh herring came next, and those fed partially 
 on rye meal gained least. 
 
 A new method of packing fish for transportation to market is described 
 by Soiling. The fishes are dressed, thoroughly washed in order to remove 
 all blood, and allowed to drain a few minutes. Then they are wrapped in 
 a special vegetable parchment paper and placed on ice. Experiments show 
 that halibut so treated will remain fresh and firm and retain their full flavor 
 for 31 days. 
 
 Franke found that Costia necatrix in salmonoid fry is prevented by 
 aboundant and constant aeration of the water. Costia spreads more rapidly 
 when the fry are crowded and when the temperature of the water is above 
 10^ C. 
 
 Vincent states that various species of trout fry are especially subject 
 to disease of the gills and frequently are subject to the epidemic known as 
 staggers. The most effective measures in both cases are those of prevention, 
 the best of which is perfect cleanliness of both water and equipment. 
 
 Spencer reports that fungous growths have been killed on hundreds of 
 fishes, belonging to many species, in the New York Aquarium by the q-ppli- 
 cation of hydrogen dioxide. This substance produced cures when treatments 
 with salt solutions were unsuccessful. 
 
 Ward found that the Sebago salmon is infested with a comparatively 
 small number of internal parasites, a total of but nine species at most. 
 Tlie various forms manifest a striking freshwater aspect. A new species of 
 trematode, Azygia sebago, is described. 
 
 Scott found that, when fishes were transferred from sea water to fresh 
 water, there was a decrease in the number of corpuscles per cubic millimeter, 
 a lowering of the haemoglobin percentage, a lowering of the specific gravity, 
 and a lessening of the depression of the freezing point, all of which showed 
 a dilution of the blood. When put into sea water whose specific gravity 
 had been raised by the addition of sea salt, there was an increase in the 
 number of corpuscles, a loss in weight, and an increase in the specific gra¬ 
 vity of the blood. 
 
 A series of experiments performed by Marsh led him to the conclusion 
 that, for practical cultural purposes, a certain minimum of natural dissolved 
 solids is necessary to make water suitable for fishes and that there is doubt¬ 
 less a maximum also, but a wide adaptability must exist. Substances not 
 commonly found in natural waters are usually unfavorable in their action 
 on fishes, such as copper sulphate, silver nitrate, zinc, lead, aluminum and 
 even tin. Pishes are very susceptible to mineral acids. 
 
 Birge gives a brief account of the annual cycle of changes in the gases 
 dissolved in the waters of Wisconsin lakes, particular attention being given 
 to the oxygen and carbon dioxide. It is pointed out that a knowledge of 
 
460 
 
 Hydrographische Einzelreferate. 
 
 lacustrine physics and chemistry is Just as necessary to the best utilization 
 of the waters of lakes as a knowledge of soil physics and chemistry is to 
 the best agricultural use of land. 
 
 Three papers discuss plans for promoting the whitefish production of 
 the Great Lakes. The chief proposals made for accomplishing this end are 
 extensive artificial propagation and a closed season covering the period when 
 most unripe fish are caught. Only about one per cent, of the whitefish 
 eggs are fertilized when they are deposited under natural conditions. This 
 means an enormous loss which can be prevented by artificial fertilization 
 and rearing. 
 
 Hoek gives a brief history of the propogation and protection of the 
 Rhine salmon. Spawning takes place in November and December, but the 
 different sizes of salmon enter the river and begin the ascent at different 
 seasons. As a result they are found ascending the stream during practically 
 every month of the year. Very few salmon escape and reach the spawning 
 grounds to deposit their eggs in the natural way. Through an international 
 agreement, however, the various governments concerned resort to artificial 
 propogation. 
 
 Matsubara describes the various varieties of goldfish that are culti¬ 
 vated in Japan and gives the methods employed in rearing them. 
 
 Lefevre and Curtis give the results of some investigations which were 
 made for the purpose of determining the practicability of cultivating fresh¬ 
 water mussels artificially. The breeding habits and life history of various 
 species of mussels were studied. Many experiments on infecting various 
 species of fishes with the glochidia show that five species out of the total 
 number tried serve as excellent hosts — a single specimen of these fishes 8 cm. 
 to 10 cm. long being able to carry a thousand glochidia through the para¬ 
 sitic period successfully. The results showed that various species of mussels 
 are capable of artificial propogation and a biological station has been esta¬ 
 blished by the Bureau of Fisheries for the purpose of propogating species 
 which have a commercial value. 
 
 1 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF ILLIN0I8-URBANA 
 
 III I Hill 
 
 N30112104613051A