458 MR. F. DAT ON THE BREEDING OF SALMON FROM PARENTS 



November 7, 1884. A suiolt, or more properly a grilse, 1| lb. weight, was found lying 

 almost dead by the side of pond no. 7, and from it about one hundred apparently ripe eggs 

 were taken, and milted from a Lochleven Trout. On January 23, 1885, eighteen hatched, 

 and when I saw them on February 10 they looked remarkably well and vigorous, while 

 there did not appear to be any deformities among them. So far as I am aware, this is the 

 first successful attempt in ( rreat Britain at breeding from Salmon which have undoubtedly 

 passed their entire existence in fresh water, while it is likewise interesting as a case of 

 hybridization, and in a form which, so far, at llowietoun had been productive of sterile 

 offspring. 



November 11, 188 !•. About 12,000 eggs of the Lochleven Trout were fecundated from 

 the milt of a grilse, and were placed in hatching-tray no. 1. They did very well, only 87 

 dead ova being picked out, and hatched on January 28, 1885. 



November 14, 1884. The water was let oil' from pond no. 7, in which the young 

 Salmon had been kept, as it required being re-charred this year, while the contained fish 

 were taken to pond no. 5, just re-done up, and previously inhabited by Brook-Trout, but 

 which were now turned into the burn, as they were too old to be worth further 

 preserving. Sixty-eight young Salmon were transferred, the majority being males, 

 while these fishes showed all the gradations in colouring from the golden and banded 

 parr to the silvery smolts, these latter, however, not having lost their parr-bands, while 

 some of the large smolts or grilse were distended with ova. All the fish in the full parr- 

 livery were males, but smolts and grilse in some instances also had milt. About two dozen 

 eggs were obtained IVom one of the females, but they did not germinate, probably not 

 being quite ripe. Three smolts which were too much injured to live, due to their 

 persistent attempts to escape, were opened, and the ovisacs were found distended with 

 eggs, almost but not quite ripe, being still slightly adherent to the ovisac. 



As these youug Salmon hecame ready for continuing their species, in December the 

 following were obtained and laid down in the hatching-bouse : — 



December 1, 1881. 1500 eggs from two smolts or grilse which were treated with the 

 milt of one of the males. These eggs averaged each 0"22 of an inch in diameter, and 

 Avere placed in hatching-tray no. 101 a : about 400 of these eggs batched on Feb. 21, 1885. 



December 9, 1884. About 4000 ova of these grilse were impregnated with the milt of 

 one of the males. These eggs were each 0'20 of an inch in diameter and were placed in 

 hatching-tray no. 108 a : about 2200 of these eggs hatched on Feb. 27, 1885. 



On the same day 400 ova of these grilse were treated with the milt of a Lochleven 

 Trout. These eggs were each 0*22 of an inch in diameter, and were placed in hatching- 

 tray 108 b. The milt appeared to be strong enough where it acted, but only appeared to 

 do so in half the eggs. 



December 13, 1884. About 2500 eggs of the grilse were milted from the same lot in 

 the pond, and placed in hatching-tray 84 c. The diameter of each egg was 0-22 of an 

 inch, and about 200 of these eggs hatched on March 5. 



At nearly the end of December the remainder or 48 young Salmon which had been 

 bred from, were removed from the wooden-lined pond no. 5 into the earthen pond 

 no. 10, it being of larger size, and none jumped out. 



