Notes on the Breeding of Salmonide, read at a Meeting of the 
Cotteswold Club, March 31st, 1885. By Francis Day, F.L.S., 
and F.Z.S. 
About this time last year I read a paper before this Society 
on “The Breeding of Fishes,” since that period I have had 
the opportunity of continuing my observations on the interesting 
fish cultural experiments which are being carried on with such 
success at Howietoun, and a few months since it entered my head 
that even at Cheltenham I might endeavour to accomplish 
a little work in the same direction. 
Although treatises on “ Fish Culture” describe many excel- 
lent plans for hatching eggs of the Salmonide, I came to the 
conclusion that my time would not be wasted if I ascertained 
at how cheap arate I could do so, and that in a manner suitable 
to the capacity of any gamekeeper or watcher, who might be in 
possession of a modicum of common sense. 
In the course of my enquiries I extended my investigations 
into some debateable subjects, which I propose to briefly lay 
before this meeting, and which may be chiefly comprised under. 
the following heads :— 
(1.) Are the eggs of these fishes, when pertaining to the 
same species, invariably identical in size? or if they differ, on 
what does such depend? (2.) Do larger eggs produce superior 
offspring ? (3.) Can salmon spawn in the sea? (4.) What is 
@ par ? ; 
My apparatus* for egg hatching consisted of a paraffin cask, 
(well burnt inside) as a reservoir, having a tap fixed near its 
base, through which water passed into the water-supply tank, 
which latter had two taps fitted, one near either end and close 
to its base, so that each tap would be projecting over a hatching 
® The cost was as follows :—One cask, well burnt out or charred inside 
3s. 6d., tap 5s., supply tank and two hatching trays 15s., taps 4s. 6d., a second 
cask to keep a supply of water in 3s. 6d., a bucket 1s. 6d., as an egg extractor 
a leech glass 6d. ; or an outlay of £1 13s. 6d. 
