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446 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. [20] 
of a phosphoric fat (Lecithin) is produced, and by digesting it with 
artificial gastric juice, another phosphoric substance is obtained, viz, the 
nuclein, otherwise known to form the nucleus of the cells. This is of in- 
terest, in as far as both these substances, especially the last-mentioned 
one, are only found in the muscles in very small quantities. The forma- 
tion of the liquid part of the egg can, therefore, not only be accomplished 
when muscle substance is taken from the flesh and is deposited in the 
ege, but the new combinations peculiar to the egg need to be proéuced 
from the albumen, the fat and the salts of the muscles containing phos- 
phoric acid, by means of the most radical chemical changes. 
I do not, at the present time, possess a sufficient number of albumen 
calculations from the ovarium, which would be useful in this connection. 
Taking from the figures at my command (which are probably somewhat 
too high) 30.0 per cent. of substance not soluble in boiling alcohol, ether, 
and water, I reach the following result : 
Probable loss. of the muscle’. 5..05 5 s..cce ar ooeee eee sen eee oe ” 579.7 
Probable amouxt of albumen consumed by the ovarium ........ 482.4 
Albumen lett’ 22.573: se ece baste Bee eae eee See 97.3 
to be used either as food, or for increasing the ovarium beyond its av- 
erage size, or for spawning flesh containing more than 13.2 per cent. of 
albumen, not counting the loss sustained by the liver and the intestines. 
The other fish to be examined was a decidedly lean one (we had _ pur- 
posely selected such an one). It was caught August 4, 1879, its length 
was 858 millimeters, and its weight 7,340 grams; therefore almost 700 
grams less than the average weight of the division to which it belonged, 
according to its date (8,028). Ifin this case, where the conditions were 
less favorable, we could also succeed in showing a sufficient loss of sub- 
stance, our proof would be doubly sure. The results obtained in the 
same manner as with the first fish are given in the following table in a 
tabulated form. As the development of the ovarium was farther ad- 
vanced, I calculated the decrease of weight only to the lst November. 
TABLE VIII.—Albumen balance-sheet—Growth of the ovarium at the expense of the muscle 
in a salmon caught near Basel, August 4, 1879. 
MuscLE, Dr. MUSCLE, Cr. 
SA: Bete 
Ze: Beg 
= 5S S| 2 
4 io) < | 
Grams.| Grams. Grams. Grams.) Per ct. | Grams. 
Weight of body Angust:4 se. 2. sels ose ecleac| a ccen sista nelesn 7, 340 
Final weight, calculated for November 1: 
7, 340100 ’ 
a rns ie RC a ela ee ele ete oe eee ne Stee eecel eemearer 6, 806 
107. 84 
Total probable loss of weight of body up 
toyNovember l - 2222. -coese ose ace se cen ees sceernselsiscesass 534 
Liver of 108 grams=1.58 per cent. of 
weight of body, November 1, less 
1.06 average liver of the mature fish in per 
cent. of weight of body.....--.--:.--.--- eeespeoe | 0.42 
