TEANSMISSION OF SALMON EGGS TO AUSTRALIA, ETC. 847 



Auckland, Canterbury, and Victoria, when tlie above letter came to 

 liaud, at once heartily acceded to the request of the colonial secretary. 

 His great experience enabled him to make the necessary xDreparations 

 which, under ordinary circumstances, secure success. It must be under- 

 stood that the ova boxes are transmitted from San Francisco in the ice- 

 house of the mail steamer, b^^ which means the hatching- of the ova is 

 retarded. If the ice were to run short during the voyage, or the boxes 

 to be exj)osed to the sun for even a short time after leaving the mail 

 steamer, the retarding effects of the cold would be destroyed, and under 

 the influence of the high temperature here premature hatching would 

 take place in the boxes, and the whole experiment prove a disastrous 

 failure. The ova boxes, as we have stated, are simi^ly placed in the 

 ice-house of the steamer on being sent from San Francisco, and on 

 arrival here it is necessary that a separate case be provided for each 

 box of ova to safely convey the ova to their destination. These cases 

 were made in accordance with the plan which Mr. Firth's experience 

 has shown him to obtain the largest measure of success. A large num- 

 ber of boxes have been j)repared for the immediate reception of the ova 

 on its arrival here. Each of these boxes is provided with an internal 

 division, which admits of packing three inches of sawdust between the 

 outside of the case and the internal division. In the open inner space 

 is placed the ova box, which is protected from the heat on the sides by 

 the sawdust, and on the top of the ova box is placed about five inches 

 of ice to keep the ova cool and moist, and in the bottom are i^erforations 

 for carrying away the water from the melting ice. The ice thus placed 

 on the top of the ova is protected from the heat by pads containing a 

 thick i>acking of sawdust. The ova box having been placed in i)osition, 

 the ice on top and the sawdust pads on the top of the ice, the lid of the 

 outer case is then closed and securely fastened, which makes the affair 

 complete. By a very sim^^le arrangement the two very necessary 

 requisites — ventilation and drainage — are i^rovided. It is perhaps 

 necessary to say that not only has increase of temperature to be i)ro- 

 vided against, but also any risk of concussion must as far as possible 

 be avoided. To secure this latter, a simple and effective means of car- 

 rying the boxes has been designed by Mr. Firth, which will prevent any 

 concussion during the transference from ship to wharf, in their final 

 transport down the sides of the ravines or up the shingle-beds of the 

 rivers to their final destination. Mr. Firth also provided a number of 

 boxes to contain a reserve supply of ice to guard against the exhaustion 

 of ice in the ova-boxes. These boxes are constructed so that there is a 

 three-inch space between the inner and outer boxes iiacked with saw- 

 dust. The inner box is then filled with ice, and covered with a sawdust 

 pad, as in the case of the ova-boxes. The box-lid is then closed and 

 fastened, and there is very little doubt that the ice so stored will be 

 available in case of need. 

 Mr. Firth's experience warrants him in thinking that the most sue- 



