10 DESCRIPTION OF A SALMON EGG. [CHAP. i. 



been assembled to spawn they were too young and had no de- 

 velopment of milt or roe. This, if these fish separate, gives rise 

 to the question At what period do the herrings begin their in- 

 dividual wanderings? Sprats, of course if sprats be sprats and 

 not the young of the herring may have come together at the 

 period when they are so largely captured for the purpose of 

 perpetuating their kind ; but if so, they must live long together 

 before they acquire milt or roe. And how is it that we so often 

 find young herrings in the sprat shoals ? Then, again, how comes 

 it that the fishermen do not frequently fall in with the sepa- 

 rate herrings during the white-fishing seasons? How is it that 

 fishermen find particular kinds of fish always on particular 

 ground ? How is it that eels migrate in immense bodies ? 

 My opinion is, that particular kinds of fish do hold always to- 

 gether, or at all events gather at particular seasons into greater 

 or lesser bodies. No doubt, life among the inhabitants of the 

 sea, if we could know it, is quite as diversified as life on land, 

 where we observe that many kinds of animals colonise ants, 

 bees, etc. Are the old stories about each kind of fish having 

 a king so absolutely incredible after all? That there are 

 schools of fish is certain ; how the great bodies may be divided 

 can only be guessed. 



Whatever may be the attracting cause, and however power- 

 ful the sexual instinct may be among fish, it can scarcely be 

 discussed fully in a work which makes no pretension to being 

 scientific or even technological. It is noteworthy, however, 

 that fish-eggs afford us an admirable opportunity of studying 

 a peculiarly interesting stage of animal life viz. the embryo 

 stage which naturally enough is rather obscure in all animals. 

 Having had opportunities of observing the eggs of the salmon 

 in all their stages of progress, from the period of their first 

 contact with the milt till the bursting of the egg and the 

 coming forth of the tiny fish, I will venture briefly to describe 

 what I have seen, because salmon eggs are of a convenient size 



