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ova now sho-wn were taken from Wye fish on the 27th of December last, and 

 placed in his troughs on the following day ; on the 20th of February, an interval 

 of 55 days, the eyes became visible, and on the 20th Jlarch (84 days) the first fish 

 were hatched. Mr. Symonds and Mr. W. Stephens, of Wye-bridge, placed the 

 ova taken from the same fish on the same day in their troughs, and while he 

 believes Mr. Symonds' had taken nearly the same time to hatch out as his own. 

 Those of JMr. Stephens hatched out on the 20th of February, in the short period 

 of 55 days. This he accounted for by the difference in the temperature 

 of the water, and the position of the hatching apparatus. Mr. Symonds and 

 his own were sheltered from the action of the sim, and were supplied from pond 

 and river water, which varied from 32 to 42 degrees, as the weather changed. 

 Mr. Stephens's on the other hand were placed in the eye of the sun and fed by 

 a spring which never freezes, and wliich in the depth of winter has a temperature 

 of 50 degrees, always warm and always equal. From these facts he argued that 

 the instinct of the pai-ent salmon to ascend very far up the tributary stream for 

 breeding purposes was very wisely implanted, because the water there is not 

 only purer but warmer; and though the position is more exposed and dan- 

 gerous for the parent, it is safer for and ensures the earlier hatching out of 

 their offspring. He was of opinion that it was most desirable in artificial 

 breeding to make use of spring water, and that its temperature should never 

 be less than 40 degrees, and not more than 60 degrees. By this means the early 

 hatching of the ova would be secured, and in a period of 50 to CO days. 

 Pointing to those diminutive creatures in the bowls, he said they were now 

 barely two grains in weight, and he calculated that it would take those little 

 fellows from twelve to fourteen years to grow ab ovo usque ad... the CSilbs. of 

 the sahnon represented in the pictm-e on the mantel-piece. This extraordinary 

 salmon was caught in the river Usk in 1782, and the picture he had brought 

 was a life-size painting of that magnificent fish. 



Mr. SvMOJTDS was then called upon, and expressed the pleasure he always 

 felt in producing his little fish for the inspection of those who took an interest 

 in pisciculture, but the long programme of the president would not admit 

 of much further discussion of this subject ; but he mentioned that this year 

 he had been fortunate enough to obtain ova from the establishment of the 

 Emperor of the French, at Huninghue, and hence the variety of the fish now 

 produced ; he had been very successful in hatching them out, and he would be 

 delighted to distribute them among any friends who possessed suitable brooks 

 or ponds to put them in. He hoped to keep some of the varieties in his springs 

 for a year, to see how they flourished, and what they were then Uke, but 

 most of them would be turned out elsewhere almost immediately. It was not an 

 easy matter to provide a large number of such little minute creatures with food 

 sufficiently smalL Mr. Symonds drew attention to the little trout in the large 

 glass bowl, all produced from eggs obtained at the same time from the parent 

 fish and hatehed out in March and April of last year, yet now so varjung in 

 size, that one would think a year at least was the difference of their age, 



