308 THE PRINCIPLES OF Part II. 



are many difficulties in arriving at any just conclusion. 51 Infertile 

 females might readily be mistaken for males, as Dr. Giintlier has 

 remarked to me in regard to trout. With some species the males 

 are believed to die soon after fertilising the ova. With many species 

 the males are of much smaller size than the females, so that a large 

 number of males would escape from the same net by which the 

 females were caught. M. Carbonnier, 52 who has especially attended 

 to the natural history of the pike (Esox lucius) states that many 

 males, owing to their small size, are devoured by the larger females ; 

 and he believes that the males of almost all fish are exposed from 

 the same cause to greater danger than the females. Nevertheless 

 in the few cases in which the proportional numbers have been 

 actually observed, the males appear to be largely in excess. Thus 

 Mr. R. Buist, the superintendent of the Stormont field experi- 

 ments, says that in 1865, out of 70 salmon first landed for the 

 purpose of obtaining the ova, upwards of 60 were males. In 

 .1867 he again " calls attention to the vast disproportion of the 

 " males to the females. We had at the outset at least ten males 

 " to one female." Afterwards sufficient females for obtaining ova 

 were procured. He adds, " from the great proportion of the 

 " males, they are constantly fighting and tearing each other on the 

 " spawning-beds." 53 This disproportion, no doubt, can be accounted 

 for in part, but whether wholly is very doubtful, by the males 

 ascending the rivers before the females. Mr. F. Buckland remarks 

 in regard to trout, that " it is a curious fact that the males prepon- 

 " derate very largely in number over the females. It invariably 

 " happens that when the first rush of fish is made to the net, there 

 " will be at least seven or eight males to one female found captive. 

 " I cannot quite account for this ; either the males are more numer- 

 " ous than the females, or the latter seek safety by concealment 

 " rather than flight." He then adds, that by carefully searching the 

 banks, sufficient females for obtaining ova can be found. 54 Mr. H. 

 Lee informs me that out of 212 trout, taken for this purpose in Lord 

 Portsmouth's park, 150 were males and 62 females. 



With the Cyprinida} the males likewise seem to be in excess ; 

 but several members of this Family, viz., the carp, tench, bream 

 and minnow, appear regularly to follow the practice, rare in the 



51 Leuckart quotes Bloch (Wagner, ' Handworterbuch der Phys.' B. iv . 

 1853, s. 775), that with fish there are twice as many males as females. 



52 Quoted in the 'Farmer,' March 18, 1869, p. 369. 



53 'The Stormontfield Piscicultural Experiments,' 1866, p. 23. The 

 ' Field ' newspaper, June 29th, 1867. 



54 ' Land and Water,' 1868, p. 41. 



