Spawning. 43 



1856, M. Vrasski was occupied with the micro- 

 scopic examination of the eggs and milt, and 

 kept a journal in which he registered the least 

 circumstances and incidents relative to each 

 fecundation that he effected. Two months of 

 persistent efforts brought the desired results. 

 The journal and the microscope proved to him 

 that the cause of his failure proceeded precisely 

 from the exact observation of all the counsels 

 of the foreign manuals. It is necessary for 

 fecundation that the spermatozoa of the milt 

 of the male should penetrate the eggs of the 

 female. In order to do this, the manuals 

 recommended receiving the eggs in a vessel of 

 water ; afterwards, to receive in another vessel 

 of water the milt of the male ; and, lastly, 

 to turn the diluted milt on to the eggs. By 

 his journal, kept with scrupulous exactness, 

 M. Vrasski convinced himself that the fecunda- 

 tion was so much the less complete, according 

 as the mixture of the milt and eggs had been 



