TREATISE ON FLY-FISHING. 85 



the characteristic bars of the parr had then become 

 distinctly visible. From an unforeseen accident, 

 his experiments upon this brood were abruptly 

 terminated. With a second, however, he was 

 more fortunate. On the 27th January, 1837, he 

 deposited some spawn in one of his ponds ; on the 

 21st March, the embryo fish were visible to the 

 naked eye. From a minute inspection, he found 

 that they had some appearance of animation, 

 from a very minute streak of blood which appeared 

 to traverse for a short distance the interior of the 

 egg, originating near two small dark spots, not 

 larger than the point of a pin. These two spots 

 ultimately turned out to be the eyes of the embryo 

 fish. On the 7th May, (one hundred and one days 

 after impregnation) they had burst the envelope, 

 and were found among the shingle in the stream ; 

 at this period the head is larger in proportion to the 

 body, which is exceedingly small, and measures 

 about five-eighths of an inch in length ; of a pale 



blue or peach blossom colour. But the most 

 M 



