J. PISCICULTURE AND THE FISHERIES. 407 



RENEWED ATTEMPT TO SEND SALMON EGGS TO NEW ZEALAND. 



A very interesting experiment has lately been entered 

 upon in Scotland, in the form of a renewal of the attempt to 

 send salmon eggs to New Zealand for the purpose of stocking 

 the waters of the antipodes. This was done principally un- 

 der the direction of Mr. Frank Buckland, the well-known pis- 

 ciculturist. For this purpose the salmon were taken in seines, 

 and the ripe fish selected for the experiment. The process 

 of impregnation consisted in dropping the milt from the male 

 fish into a vessel containing a small quantity of water, and 

 then stripping the eggs into the same receptacle, Mr. Buck- 

 land's experience teaching him that this is better than to 

 place the eggs in the water first, where there is no milt. He 

 also advises allowing the eggs to remain quietly in this con- 

 dition for a considerable time before washing ofl*. 



The gathering of the eggs took place on the property of 

 Mr. G. C. Home Drummond, of Blair-Drummond Castle, nearly 

 opposite luverardoch House. The eggs were then carried to 

 Glasgow to be packed. They were placed in boxes holding 

 a cubic foot each, stratified in layers between moss ; and these 

 were placed in a large ice-box, constructed expressly for the 

 purpose, on board the ship. The ice-box measured thirteen 

 feet in length by twelve in width, and eight in height. In 

 packing, ice was first arranged along the bottom, two feet 

 thick. Upon this was deposited a square, consisting of 

 twenty-five salmon boxes, with four in addition at the cor- 

 ners. Upon these boxes was put a stratum of ice two feet 

 thick, and upon this another layer of boxes of eggs, and ice 

 again on the top of these. All around the sides of the ice- 

 house slabs of ice two feet six inches thick were j^laced, so 

 that the eggs were surrounded by blocks of ice, the minimum 

 thickness being two feet. Ice was also packed in the inter- 

 spaces between all the boxes, precautions being taken that 

 they should not get loose. AH around the ice-house was 

 built another ice-box, leaving an interspace of eighteen inches. 

 This was filled tight with sawdust, to keep the temperature 

 as equal as possible. In addition to the salmon eggs, some 

 thousands of eggs of trout were also forwarded. 2 A, Jan- 

 uary 16, 1875,48. 



