xiv PROCEEDINGS, MAY. 



ova packed in damp moss under an ice tank, and with a tap to draw 

 off water, to Mr. Youl. The original of this sketch the writer of the 

 paper produced. Mr. Brady recommended a small trial in this way, 

 adding that if they did not hatch before arrival it would be a decidedly 

 safe w^y of transporting them. In 1S6'2 a number of experiments in 

 this direction were made by Messrs. R. and W. Ramsbottom, Thos. 

 Johnston, and others under the direction of Mr. Youl, and after some 

 difficulties in obtaining ova and proper accommodation on board ship, 

 Messrs. Money, Wigram, and Co. placed 50 tons of space on the clipper 

 ship Norfolk at Mr. Youl's service gratuitously. Mr. Youl has been 

 enabled to ship 100,000 salmon ova packed in the following manner, 

 which has since bc2n repeated with little alteration : — " A couple of 

 handsful of charcoal are spread over the bottom of the box, then a 

 layer of broken ice ; after this, a bed or nest of wet moss is carefully 

 made and well drenched with water. The ova are then very gently 

 poured from a bottle, which is kept filled with water. The box is now 

 filled up with moss, and pure water poured upon it until it streams 

 out from all the holes. Another layer of finelj' pulverised ice is spread 

 all over tlie top of the moss ; the lid is then firmly screwed down. 

 The boxes used measured 11, ''n. long, G^in. wide, and 5.}in. deep, 

 perforated top and bottom." As doubts had been expressed whether 

 the true salmon had ever been received, Mr. Scager gave full par- 

 ticulars of where the ova were taken, and the names of the different 

 persons of well-known experience wiio obtained it from the various 

 rivers, also an article from The Timrx of January IS, 1SG4, giving 

 particulars with reference to what had been done. The Norfolk 

 arrived in Melbourne after a voyage of 84 days, and the ova were 

 transhipped in the Victorian Government sloop Victoria, and brought 

 on to llobart. They were deposited at the iiatchery on the !)lst day 

 after shipment, when it was estimated that there were 35,000 living 

 ova. The ova hatched out well, and the mortality amongst the fry was 

 very trifling. It was estimated that 1,500 of the fry escaped through a 

 leak, and that gave rise to a statement that the Norfolk shipment had 

 died ; but upwards of 3,000 fry were admitted to the pond from the 

 breeding boxes, and fish in a more mature stage were subsecjuently 

 liberated. In 180(3 another 102,500 salmon ova with 15,000 ova of sea 

 trout were shipped in the Lincolnshire, and 50 per cent, were deposited 

 at the ponds. Of this shipment the commissioners reported on 

 September 2, ISGO, that 0,000 salmon and 900 salmon trout had been 

 liberated. In 1882 Dr. Agnew, then in Loudon, was entrusted by his 

 brother commissioners with the direction of a further shipment, but 

 that gentleman was, from various causes, unable to carry the object to 

 completion, though he visited and secured the co operation of Messrs. 

 Youl and IJrady, who secured and packed 80,000 ova, which were 

 despatched in the Abington on the 19th February, 1884. On .luly 1 

 there were 1,825 fry of this shipment in the boxes at the ponds — a 

 comparative failure in this shipment arising from a defect in the 

 drainage of the ice-house. Thirty fish of this lot were retained in the 



f»ond.s for breeding purposes, and .300 fry of their progeny were 

 iberatcd last season. la 1885 Messrs. Brady and Youl packed 100,000 

 which were sent direct to llobart in the Yeoman, and resulted in a 

 greater success than any of the preceding shipments. Of this lot 

 10,000 arrived in such a state of development as to have the eyes 

 visible, and revealed so few dead eggs that it was decided to ship ova 

 in the "eyed" stage in future. After paying a high compliment to 

 the Salmon Commissioners who resigned in 1887, Mr. Seager referred 

 to the noble offer ot Dr. Agnew and the last shipment under the charge 

 of Sir Thos. Brady, and concluded by (juoting some passages from 

 the writings of Mr. li. M. .Johnston and others as to the character of 

 the fish wc have succeeded in acclimatising. 



