14 



OBSEEVATIONS ON THE PROGRESS OF THE 

 SALMON EXPERIMENT. 



Br Morton Allport, F.Z.S,, F.L.S. 



Since our last evening meeting several large fisli Lave- 

 been taken by a fixed net in the Derwent, immediately below 

 the mouth of the Plenty, which fish differed so materially 

 from the trout caught in the Plenty and those retained in 

 the ponds, as to induce a belief that a veritable grilse had at 

 leucfth been caught. The first of these fish, a female weiofhinor 

 4i lbs., was taken on the 26th December last, and is now before 

 you. On a casual inspection. Judge Francis, Mr.- J. Buckland, 

 and I, each took this specimen to be nothing more than a well 

 fed and exceedingly handsome river trout (Salmo fario), but 

 upon careful examination of the teeth and fin rays, and com- 

 paring them with the descriptions given by Yarrell, I found 

 that the teeth on the vomer were reduced to a single line,, 

 extending but a short distance back as they are found in 

 the salmon trout (Salmo trictta), instead of being placed in a 

 double alternating row, and extending far back, as they are 

 found in the river trout (S. fario), whilst the numbers of the 

 fin rays corresponded exactly with those of the salmon trout, and 

 differed materially from those of the river trout. Yarrell 

 gives such minute directions for counting the fin rays that it 

 is scarcely possible to be mistaken in the number where 

 the fish is as large as this specimen ; but to guard as much 

 as possible against error. Judge Francis kindly consented 

 to check my figures by a separate examination, and arrived 

 at the same result, as did Mr. Buckland on a subsecjuent occa- 

 sion. As it was determined by the Commissioners to present 

 this specimen to the Royal Society for preservation, I availed 

 myself of the able assistance of our Curator, Mr. Roblin, and 

 dissected out the pyloric appendages, the numbers of which 

 seem to be relied upon as a good specific test by Dr. Giinther, 

 who gives 36 as the number for the river trout, whereas 

 this fish has 42. The roe was found well developed, each 

 egg being about the size of No. 4 shot. The next specimen, 

 caught two days afterwards, was a female weighing If lbs., 

 exhibiting the same characters as that last described, the 

 vomerine teeth being those of a migratory salmon after its 

 first trip to sea. The third specimen was a magnificent female 

 fish, over 7 lbs in weight, identical in character with the first. 

 This fish was in such excellent condition, and so much larger 

 than we could exhibit in spirits, that the Commissioners 

 determined to send it to His Excellency the Governor, 

 that it might be put to what is after all the most practical 

 test of its value to this colony, and his report of it was that 



