PROCEEDINGS OF SOCIETIES. 141 



of the water more or less influenced the earlier or the later development of the ova. 

 The ova deposited in the beds of some rivers did not produce the fry for 120 to 130 

 days. Mr. Samuel Gurney, jun., of Carshalton, had successfully impregnated 

 and distributed the ova of the fine trout of the river Wandle, and had also intro- 

 duced the trout of other rivers of England to the Wandle. He had successfully 

 sent the ova to New Zealand ; and the trout of the Wandle were now flourishing in 

 the rivers of that country. Valuable experiments in science might be worked by 

 the enclosure (where practicable) of a salt-water inlet at the mouth of a river in 

 which the ova would be propagated, and allowing the fry, according to instinct, to 

 take their course to the salt water. Mr. Andrews did not clearly understand Mr. 

 Ffennell as to the habits of the salmon on the spawning beds, nor did he concur in 

 such views. Our northern and eastern rivers appeared to produce earlier fish than 

 our western rivers. Much depended on the temperature of the waters, and those 

 rivers connected with extensive lakes have a much higher temperature than Alpine 

 rivers. Mr. Andrews did not think that the periods of spawning were the same in 

 all rivers ; that there were early periods as well as late periods of spawning, and that 

 clean fish are earlier in some rivers, and of a later run in other rivers — that in some 

 rivers in Wales and in Scotland, salmon are in prime marketable condition very 

 early in the season, and the greater part of the year— such as the Usk in Wales, and 

 the Kirkaig in Scotland. Mr. Andrews noticed the instance of the River Caragh in 

 Kerry, where years since he had seen the salmon in abundance and in the primest 

 condition in the month of January. In the Slaney, that he had often fished, he had 

 seen salmon in prime condition in October. The River Bandon he had heard was a 

 late spawning river, and that salmon were in good condition late in the season. He 

 could notice many cases in the western rivers relative to the habits of the salmon, 

 and he certainly was of opinion that a difference existed in some lakes and rivers 

 with regard to the periods of the condition of the fish. 



Mr. Ffennell said he did not agree with Mr. Andrews ; he, however, was aware 

 that prime fish had been obtained in the Caragh in the month of January, and at 

 periods when they were not in condition in other rivers ; but he supported the views 

 of the same periods of the close season throughout the country — that in England, 

 Scotland, and Ireland, the periods of spawning were uniform, and that no differ- 

 ences as to the season occurred. 



Mr. Andrews asked Mr. Ffennell when he supposed the clean fish, known to 

 occur in the Caragh, in the month of January, spawned. 



Mr. Ffennell said that the fish remained in the lake throughout the summer, and 

 spawned the following November. 



Mr. Williams put the question, did those fish remain in the fresh water through- 

 out the year ? 



Mr. Ffennell said they did. 



Mr. Andrews could not believe that salmon could be in a healthy condition for 

 spawning in November, remaining in the fresh water throughout the summer. 



Mr. Ffennell said he was responsible for the opinions he put forward, as they 

 were all grounded upon his own actual observations. 



Mr. Andrews said he had intended making some observations upon the Sygna- 

 thidas, or pipe-fish family, and particularly with reference to the habits and spawn- 

 ing states of Sygnathus typhle. The lateness of the evening would prevent his 

 entering into the remarks at present. Mr. Andrews had obtained, in Dingle Har- 

 bour, the two varieties of S. typhle, known on the shores of Finland, in the Baltic 

 and the Cattegat. It was there denoted Tongsnallor, on account of their quick mo- 

 tions among algas. Many of our harbour fish, on the west coast, were identical with 

 those on the shores of Finland, and many that we reject are used by the poorer 

 classes m Russia. Sand smelts, which in Russia are termed Snetky, are thrown 

 into brine, then dried in an oven, being placed on straw to prevent their being burnt; 

 these, with other fish similarly dried, are made into soup, thickened with barley 

 grits, and form the food of the lower orders in the Isle of Cronstadt. Minnows and 

 gudgeons are dried in a similar manner, and sold at twenty- five copecks per lb. — 

 a copeck is the eleventh part of a penny. These are used with salted peas and 

 beans by the poorer classes during the protracted winters, and in the long fasts 

 prescribed by the Greek religion. 



