The New York herald., 1879-02-27
FACTS ABOUT FISH.
Close of the Annual Meeting of the
CulturiStS' Association.
DESTRUCTIVE MARINE WORMS
Robert B. Roosevelt on the Re-
productive Habits Of Eels.

Cuturiss Association and by far the most important
and interesting which has been held since the asso
citation formed. brought to a close yesterday
in the of the Fulton Market Fishmongers
Association. The papers read and discussed were
not pertinent merely fish culture and protection
but had wider scope affecting the entire shipping
and commercial interests of the nation During the
day an election of officers for the ensuing year
held with the following result :-President-
Robert B. Roosevelt. Vice President-George s.
Page. Treasurer-Eugene Blackford. Secretaries
1Iessrs. b. Phillips and James Arnim Executive
Committee--B. L. Hewitt. 6. Brown Goode. Samuel
Wimot, Benjamin West. Theodore Gill and J. Il.
Ferguson. An interesting paper read by the
secretary from Dr. Heath the dytiscus margnialis
water bug very dangerous to trout.
RUINous MARINE BoRERs.
A most interesting paper read by the Vice
President. Mr.. George Shepard Page. 'The Teredo
Navais and the Limnoria Terebraus and their Raw
ages Wood under Water" Mr.. Page said
These marine animals abound in most of our
waters both in the Atlantic and Pacific. They are
tar destructive to the docks and shipping under
water than the decay which occurs above water. It
is record that oak piles eighteen inches III
diameter have been completely cut of at the
Delaware, Lackawanna and Western coal docks.
Hoboken, in one season The average length of
life of docks about harbor Is but six years,
and at points where the current has free and
away from the outlet of sewers the teredo is ex-
ceedingy prolific and works with terrible rapidity
They hatched from egg. millions OF which are
deposited and the Matching process occurs almost
soon as the eggs emitted. When the current is
strong they carried at once to submerged timber
to the hulls of vessels. They are already armed
with wonderfully effective, hard shelly boring appa
This combined auger, file and gauge, the
surface having less than M.5O0 cutting
faces The animal grows rapidly. passing the dust
through their bodies and discharging it at
one of two syphons which can be extended
at pleasure from the opening Of tho wood.
The other syphon is used for obtaining their food
from the animalculse Of the water Two shelly ap-
ar,dl lhnt, of AafA
posed the surface of the wood and used free
the opening from sediment and to the attach
ment of barnacles. They deposit white calcareous
substance about the entire surface of their cells
sucker tonguelke organ is protruded from the cir
cumference OF the shell. attached firmly to the end
OF their galleries. They are thus enabled to work
their boring apparatus with great efficiency. 1t is
affirmed that the most effective auger in has
been recently patented by shrewd Massachusetts
Yankee who copied the teredos implement. Many
appliances have been used to prevent the attacks
OF the teredo. Vessels protected by the
use of metal sheathing. Pning has been treated
with various poisonous substances-corrosive
remained for the distinguished John Bethell of
England forty years ago, to discover agent which
has since then, whenever used, been sure protec-
ton. He used the creosote oil of coal tar which
tains about ten per cent of carboic acid. 1t is ap
piled in large cylinder SO to 100 feet in length and
from to feet il diameter After the timber Is
placed in the cylinder heat vsporizes sap;
the air is then exhausted and the oil passed In The
timber is readily saturated to the very centre. The
oil is produced very cheaply and in large quantities
in the United States. Wood heating has become es-
tablished as an industry in this country Works
in operation IN Boston, New York and one or two in
tie South
Mr. Page exhibited large number of most inter-
esting specimens of wood eaten by the teredo-
spruce, pine, yellow pine. hemlock oak and mahog-
any. They taken from the harbors of Prov
incetown, New York. Norfolk, Pascagoula, Aspnwall
and San Francisco.
He also showed specimens of wood partially treated
The teredo carefully avoided the creosote but thor
1v afad <ba
exhibited the teredo fourteen inches in length pre-
served in gycerine. creosote oil and crystazed
bolic acid
ROBERT b. RoosEvELr ON EELs.
The President OF the association, Mr.. Robert B.
Roosevelt, read exhaustive paper on the repro
ductive habits OF eels. He Briefly referred to the
discovery of the eggs of eels and quoted statement
OF Professor Baird to the effect that they matured
their spawn in winter, when they are dormant and
Embedded in the mud. and when they could not unite
with the male. 1t subsequently appeared that the
parent cells had been caught in the fall of the year.
water preparatory to spawning Mr.. Roosevelt ex-
pressed opinion that they part of thos taken
by Mr. Atkyns in Maine-a locality in which it
probable that the eggs would mature earlier than
with u.s. and ut present there doubt about the
truth OF the discovery. The action Of this
public attention to these fish, which for 1000
years had been stumbling block to the ply
Biologists. Information pouring in from
All quarters, and although there was there al
ways had been much contradiction to fact and
opinion. important progress made in our knowi-
edge. The recoived theories of the descent of tho
mature fish to the sea in autumn to spawn and the
ascent OF the young IN spring to the fresh waters
10 be at least exceedingly doubtful while their entire
method of reproduction is freed from the strange
theories which surrounded 1t. 1t is no longer sup
posed that cells are hermaphrodite-tho two
united in one fish occurs only in the lower form Of
animal life-nor that they produce their young
alive, that they have more than one heart in
their bodies. although we havo not yet ascertaned
impregnated egg or a living spermatozoon been OBJ
tuned. The presence of the eggs in the spawning
hsh was so apparent when the proper part was es-
amincd that 1t seemed impossible any difficulty
could have ever arisen about it, and it appears
that many Investigators knew OF the existence of the
eggs and had seen them frequently.
SPAWN.
Notwithstanding these posthumous discoveries
and assertions. to Mr. Atkyncs Professor Baird and
especially to Mr.. Eugene q. Blackford--who popu-
larizcd the discovery in such way that no ould
doubt tits due the credit of being the first persons
who. in the course of 1900 years of experiment. dis
covered the true provocative methods and organs
the eel Ii is gratifying TO think that desirable
result is largely due TO the action of this society.
tApplauseD In my paper of last year suggested .
probability that spawn would. be found. IL at
all, in the fall months, just previous to
the time when the cells hide Themselves in the
mud in the process of Information. Not that this
is Information in the broadcst of the word.
the fish in all OF IL not in the least torpid but
perfectly capable of motion il disturbed and have
seen them when driven from locality swim
rapidly against strong current with much ap-
parent case ~ in summer. But in winter cells lie
dormant and undisturbed and conceal thcmselve in
the mud whether they happen TO be In salt water or
I'm fresh. or this there is no question aud this
Information commences In this neighborhoo cd in
November and continues until April Ny pond on
Long Island has been drawn on three succeeding
winters for the purpose OF digging out the muck
which had accumulated the bottom, and many
grown eels are found in 1t and dug up with the
muck.
EGGS EEIs
do not mean TO say in suggesting the possibilities
that eels do not breed in salt water, but do know
that they breed in fresh water. and that on Long
Island the young so down the stream they
are hatched. Absolutely mature eggs yet TO be
found, for, although Mr.. Backford has found them
In various conditions of maturity and those first dis
covered by Professor Baird far advanced none,
believe, actually ripe for emission, and until
eggs are discovered shall he in the dark TO the
exact time of spawning. Bearing closely upon this
question is the contingency that there may be
necuon between the sexes of cells instead of tho
Foundation of the eggs after their cxtrusion.
There s Certainly considerable evidence on one
side of this question aud as yet none on the
other. Mr.. A. =. Fuller is reported In recent