APPENDIX. 259 



ceeded lias even found utterance in the statement as a fact 

 which has obtained currency in several publications. Al- 

 though the fishes introduced continued to live, none seemed 

 to be fruitful in their new quarters, and there is no pub- 

 lished evidence that any individuals of the species are now 

 living in America. We have the fullest and most authen- 

 tic details concerning its fate in Martinique. 



The little fishes, on their arrival at Martinique, were 

 placed in a large basin of fresh water ; the largest of them 

 was only about three French inches long. Some months 

 after, they were transferred to a small pond in the botanic 

 garden of Saint Pierre ; all were still alive and healthy, 

 and had attained a length of from ten to twelve inches. 

 Their subsequent increase was, however, much less rapid, 

 and nearly six years were required to little more than 

 double that length, for in 1827 the largest had only gained 

 a length of from twenty- four to twenty-seven inches. The 

 subsequent rate of increase was still less rapid, as might 

 naturally be supposed ; and the last survivor of the original 

 twenty-six, which was served on the table in 1846, twenty- 

 seven years after its arrival at Martinique, measured about 

 a metre or somewhat more than thirty-nine inches in 

 length. None of these fishes had been able to propagate 

 their race in the island during all this time. Five years 

 after their introduction, a formal announcement was, in- 

 deed, made that numerous young gourami had made their 

 appearance in two broods, at intervals of only six months, 

 but it was soon discovered that the supposed young gourami 

 were native fishes that had gained entrance into the pre- 

 serves of the gourami. The sudden revulsion from the 

 hope and high expectations to which the apparent success 

 had given rise, to chagrin and despair, unhappily reacted 

 on the poor fishes, and was doubtless enhanced by the ridi- 

 cule which the exposure of the nature of the discovery 



