256 Mr D. Ellis on the Natural Historic of the Salmcyn. 



be much larger than others. He, too, has seen them, when dis- 

 engaged from the spawning beds, with a portion of the skin of 

 the ovum sticking to their nose like a scale *. 



During the winter 1824, Mr Hogarth jun. observed fre- 

 quently the spawning beds in the River Don, and had the 

 spawn taken from them occasionally to examine the state it was 

 in, and found it advancing gradually. The first particular 

 change observed in the roe, was the appearance of two black 

 specks. In this state, a portion of it was taken up and put into 

 phial bottles ; and, by supplying these with frequent changes of 

 fresh water, many of the ova came into life. The young ani- 

 mals lived in the bottles, and appeared very vigorous for about 

 three weeks, the water being frequently changed. After this, 

 they became restless and uneasy, would not eat, and died 

 when they had attained the length of an inch. He procured 

 an artist to make sketches of the appearances exhibited by the 

 ovum in the successive stages of its evolution, as represented 

 in Plate III. When a portion of the roe was put into salt 

 water, none of the ova ever came into life ; and when a young 

 fish, that had been hatched in fresh water, was put into salt wa- 

 ter, it shewed symptoms of uneasiness, and died in a few hours. 

 Whence it is inferred, that the spawn of salmon, if deposited in 

 the sea, would not be evolved ; neither would the young fish, 

 in the earliest periods of its life, be able to exist there, -f* 



Sect. II. Of the Descent of the Fry to the Sea, and of their 

 subsequent growth and movements. 



Having thus described the process of spawning, and traced 

 the series of changes exhibited in the evolution of the ovum, we 

 have next to follow the progressive movements of the young fry 

 from the place of their birth in the river, to their arrival in the 

 ocean. When their evolution is completed, and they have dis- 

 engaged themselves from the spawning beds, they keep at first 

 in the eddy pools till they gain strength, and then prepare to 

 go down the river, keeping, says Mr Little, near to its sides, 

 and proceeding on their way till they meet with the salt water, 



• Report I. p. 62. | Report II. p. 92. 



