66 FISH HATCHING. 



at by the gentlemen assembled was " Not 

 proven." A distinguished ornithologist pre- 

 sent considered this was not sufficiently 

 strong ; the jury thereupon reconsidered their 

 decision, and ultimately returned their verdict 

 thus : " Water-ouzel fully acquitted of the 

 charges of eating fish spawn/' I hope the 

 readers of this will also agree in this 

 opinion. 



Besides the water-ouzel, the dabchick has 

 been accused of eating the spawn. I have 

 examined the contents of the gizzards of two 

 of these, that were shot in the spawning-beds, 

 and sent to me to report upon. The first 

 specimen contained insect remains hardly 

 digested at all ; in the second the contents 

 of the stomach were more comminuted. I 

 therefore sent them to a microscopic friend, 



