64 ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY 



males and three females, the increase was 110,000 

 young carp. 



Interesting a,s this inquiry must be to the phys- 

 iologist, we regret the necessity for bringing it to a 

 close ; this we are unwilling to do, without express- 

 ing an earnest hope, that these observations will 

 induce others, more competent than ourselves', to 

 pursue an investigation, fraught with such a high 

 degree of interest. 



GROWTH. 



Probably the spinous fishes complete their 

 growth much sooner than terrestrial animals which, 

 at an adult age, arrive to about the same weight. 

 On the other hand, the cartilaginous, as well as 

 some varieties of the flat ones, continue to increase 

 in size, under favorable circumstances, many years. 

 The skate, which in this northern latitude, does not 

 often exceed five feet in breadth, in the West In- 

 dies, has been known to attain the enormous size 

 of twenty-five feet in length, by fourteen in 

 breadth. 



The rapid growth of some fish is very extraor- 

 dinary. Three pike were taken out of a pond in 

 StrafFordshire, belonging to the present Sir Jervoise 

 Clark Jervoise, two of which weighed thirtysix 

 pounds each, and the other thirtyfive pounds. 



