e>Q FISH HATCHING. 



at by the gentlemen assembled was " Not 

 proven." A distinguished ornithologist pre- 

 sent considered this \\'as not sufficiently 

 strong ; the jury thereupon reconsidered their 

 decision, and ultimately returned their verdict 

 thus : " Water-ouzel fnll^i/ acquitted of the 

 charges of eating fish spa^^ai." I hope the 

 readers of this will also ao'ree in this 



o 



opinion. 



Besides the water-ouzel, the dabchick has 

 been accused of eating the spawn. I have 

 examined the contents of the gizzards of two 

 of these, that 2cere shot in the spaivning-heds, 

 and sent to me to report upon. The first 

 specimen contained insect remains hardly 

 dio-ested at all : in the second the contents 

 of the stomach were more comminuted. I 

 therefore sent them to a microscopic friend. 



