6 FISH CULTURE: 



really an invention, since neither had ever heard of 

 the labours of Mr. Jacobi ; and, so far, they are en- 

 titled to all the merit of the benefits arising from this 

 invention. Gehin and Eemy were poor but intelligent 

 fishermen ; and having, by watching the trout during 

 the spawning season, day and night, carefully noted the 

 whole process of depositing the spawn, it occurred to 

 them that this process might be carried out artificially, 

 and, thereby, vast quantities of ova, then yearly sacri- 

 ficed (the fish being taken in the spawning season), 

 having been properly fecundated, and planted in the 

 river, might be saved, and little comparative damage 

 would be done to the fisheries by the practices unfor- 

 tunately so much in vogue. 



Having by experiments found that their plan was 

 perfectly feasible, they commenced their operations in 

 1842, although it was not until 1848 that their 

 claims to public consideration were acknowledged. 

 Prom that time, however, they successfully carried on 

 their process in various streams, both in France and 

 in Germany. About this time M. Coste, Professor of 

 Embryogenie in the College of France, took up the 

 subject, having been attracted to it by his experiments 

 on the embryos of fish ; and hearing of what Gehin 

 and Eemy were doing, he represented the matter to 

 the Minister of Agriculture and Commerce. The 



