it 



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" over ; whereas on the fleshy parts the disease was developed in 

 " circular discs, each about the size of a shilling, while here and there 

 " a cluster of discs had become blended into a broad irregular 

 " patch. Again, where the fungiform growth was scraped away, the 

 " scales were imperfect or lost, and the growth had taken the 

 " place of the scaly covering. The parallel with ringworm is very 

 " striking." 



Mr. A. B. Stirling, Assistant Curator of the Anatomical 

 Museum, Edinburgh, stated in evidence that he first heard of the 

 salmon disease in March 1878 from Carlisle. He ascertained that 

 the fungus was Saprolcgnia ferax, and examined specimens from 

 the Eden, Nith, Caldew, and Tweed. The disease was identical 

 in each case. 



The fungus, he told us, lias been well known since 1836. Its 

 mode of reproduction is described by German authors, and by 

 Dr. Burdon Sanderson. j\lr„ Stirling's observations agree with 

 their descriptions. To quote the notes of his evidence : — " The 

 " fungus is both a-sexual and bi-sexual. First, there are zoospores 

 " which are very plentiful, hundreds in a spore case. They are 



produced in the filaments of the fungus. The zoospore produces 



a plant which produces another spore called oospore. These are 

 " found in a globular cell called ogonium by botanists. These are 

 " different from the zoospores. Has only seen four cases in which 

 " there were from four to eight spores in each ogonium. These are 

 " called ' resting spores ' because they do not die for some time. 



" The fungus absorbs the mucus and eats through the skin ; it 

 " continues to grow until a counteracting influence appears. It 

 " grows on dead fish. It kills by hiding the light and preventing 

 " endosmose and exosmose at the skin and by suffocation. Thinks 

 " the fundus is the same on both clean and unclean fish. The 

 e: action of fungus is mechanical and purely cutaneous. The 

 " Saprolcgnia ferax has been known many years; it is present, 

 " he thinks, in all waters, at all times. It is equally present in 

 " both pure and impure water. Botanists say there is a climatic 

 " influence of which they are ignorant. Cannot say why the 

 ei disease is confined to the Border rivers. A climatic influence 

 " might have existed specially there." 



Dr. John Ogle gives his opinion that whatever tends to lower 

 the tone of the fish tends to invite the disease, the sporules of 

 which are probably always present in the water, but which require 

 special conditions which cause them to spring into life. 



Mr. Worthington Smith also says the disease of fish is caused 

 by the attack of a fungus no other than the common Saprolegnia 

 j c rex. 



il With a low power of the microscope the fungus will be seen 

 " to consist of a dense mass 'of matted threads without joints, and 

 '.' in a thick forest of minute transparent clubs both zoospores and 

 " resting spores appear to be most eager to germinate." 



The disease is well known in North America. 



Mr. Byers, who was formerly Government surveyor in Eritish 

 Columbia, stated in evidence that thousands of diseased salmon may 



