466 APPENDIX. 



cool sea-water in a clean vessel, and this may be repeated several 

 times till the experimenter is satisfied that he has removed all 

 sources of contamination such as milt, fluids from the fish, shreds 

 of membrane and dead eggs. It is in the earlier stages of develop- 

 ment that the greatest care is necessary. It may be, in some cases, 

 that the upper layer of the water containing the floating eggs can 

 best be manipulated by pouring it on a piece of clean cheese-cloth 

 slightly dimpled into a funnel-shape, or into a hand-net. The eggs 

 are thus caught and easily transferred to clean water, the debris 

 being left at the bottom of the old vessel. It is an advantage also 

 to wash the eggs in the sea when a net is employed in the foregoing 

 operations. 



Having thoroughly cleansed the eggs and water, the former may 

 now be placed in clean earthenware jars, such as are made for jam 

 (about 5 6 inches in diameter x 8 in. deep, with a shoulder and an 

 aperture of 3^ 3| in.), and not more than 100 of the healthiest 

 should be put in each vessel if the journey will occupy several 

 days. The vessel should be only three-quarters full of sea-water 

 (best taken far from land), and the aperture is then tied over with 

 clean cheese-cloth. Such jars can always be carried to sea or 

 obtained in any town or village, and should have a piece of stout 

 string tied round the neck with a loop for a handle. No packing- 

 box is needed. The eggs are safer in the free jar both in regard to 

 aeration and temperature. 



These jars, containing rare eggs, should then be forwarded by 

 the fastest train to the St Andrews (Gatty) Marine Laboratory with 

 the hour and date of fertilization, locality and name of sender. A 

 caution to keep the jar cool is also important. No hesitation need 

 be felt about distance. Similar jars have carried living eggs from 

 Shetland, from Gairloch, Ross-shire, from the Channel Islands and 

 elsewhere to St Andrews. It would of course be unnecessaiy to 

 send eggs, the development of which is already known in every 

 detail (vide the various species). 



Besides forwarding the eggs at an early stage, it is a wise 

 precaution to retain some until the eyes of the little fish inside the 

 egg are just visible. These should then be sent in clean water as 

 before. On many occasions the latter alone have survived a long 

 journey, as might have been expected from previous experience with 

 the eggs of the salmon. Eggs with advanced embryos withstand 

 many vicissitudes both in regard to temperature and impurity of 

 environment. 



