DE. BKETT — FISH-HATCHING IN HERTFOKDSHIEE. 181 



newly-hatched fish. You observe that fish obey the universal 

 law of omne vivum ex ovo. 



The eggs are known to be alive when the eyes of the fish become 

 visible like two small jet-black specks, and this is the sign that 

 they will bear transport. They should not be removed till then. 

 When the eggs are dead, they become of a dull opaque white. The 

 best way to pack the eggs is in wet moss — a few eggs, and then a 

 layer of moss, and so on. The eggs do not grow, i.e. they do 

 not increase in diameter ; but the fish inside them most certainly 

 increase in bulk, till at last the egg-shell suddenly bursts and out 

 comes the young fish. Mr. Buckland says, " I have never yet 

 seen a more beautiful sight than the gradual development of the 

 young Salmon and Trout. We begin with a globule of albumen 

 (or white of egg) ; we see within it a faint line, and two black 

 spots ; day by day these become larger till the young fish is born. 

 Time goes on ; the umbilical vesicle is absorbed, the colour appears 

 on the scales, the long single crests which one observes at birth as 

 running down the upi>er and lower parts of the body, resolve 

 themselves, as it were by magic, into the various fins distinctive of 

 the adult creature, and we have a perfect fish before us. Nature, 

 ever wonderful in her works, surpasses herself in the beauty and 

 minuteness of finish of these little fish."^" The time occupied in 

 the hatching varies according to the temperature — the colder the 

 water, the stronger the fish, and the longer the process. The young 

 fish do not require feeding until the umbilical vesicle is absorbed, 

 which happens in about six weeks. After that they may be fed 

 with raw beef grated very fine, and not too much at a time, so as 

 to decompose and injure the water. 



Mr. King has kindly fui^nished me with some of his notes. 



" February 12th, 186i.— I received from N'eudiatel, Switzerland, loOO eggs of 

 trout. They left Switzerland Fiebruary 8th, at 8 p-mi^ packed m a box with wet 

 moss; arrived at Wiggenhall February 12th,. at 9.30 p.m., and. commenced 

 hatching on the loth. March 9th, all out. 



" January 16th, 1865. — I had from the Gade 1200 eggs of ti-out. Commenced 

 hatching April r2th. 



" March 21st, 1865. — I received from "Worcester 200 salmon eggs (108 were 

 bad on their arrival). Commenced hatching April 10th ; all out on the 11th. 



" January 30th, 1867.— I had 1000 trout eggs from Loch Farraline, Scotland ; 

 they were one day in coming. Commenced hatching February 12th; all out on 

 the 25th." 



With regard to the trout in Loch Parraline I should like to 

 mention a fact wliich seems to me singular, and I do not know if 

 it is common to other lakes. AVhen I was at Farraline we caught 

 about forty trout in one afternoon, and the flesh of the trout was 

 in some pink, in some yellow, and in some white, in the same 

 part of the water ; and they were all of the same size, not quite a 

 pound in weight, and in equal condition. I do not know if they were 

 of different species, or whether the coloiir varied according to the 

 food. We thought the pink of the best flavoui', then the yellow, 

 then the white. It is also singular that the char (which I believe 



* Fish-Hatching, p. 105. 



