ARTIFICIAL IMPREGNATION. 73 



ness as to require artificial protection. We therefore 

 look with interest and hope on the proceedings of those 

 who, in Germany, Sweden, England, France, Ireland, 

 and Scotland, are engaged in what, absurdly enough, 

 is termed the artificial propagation of the salmon. This 

 absurdity is amusingly seen on the title-page of Mr 

 Eamsbottom's interesting pamphlet, which exhibits "a 

 specimen of a young salmon taken from those sent to 

 the Dublin Exhibition, and propagated by the author!" 

 All that is artificial in the matter is the application of 

 human fingers to the belly of a parturient fish, the plac- 

 ing of the expressed ova under gravel in a current, the 

 confinement of the fry till the time of migration, and 

 the feeding them on sheep's liver and occasional mag- 

 gots, as at Stormontfield, or upon nothing but water, as 

 recommended by Mr Boccius. This is possible only 

 when the young fish are confined within a large space. 

 At Stormontfield the size of the pond is only a quarter 

 of an acre ; and there, we are persuaded, they would 

 have perished unless artificially fed. 



For this happy idea we are indebted to the German 

 naturalist Jacobi. Observing how flowers are impreg- 

 nated by the fertilising dust being conveyed by winged 

 insects lighting on them, it occurred to him that, in 

 like manner, the prolific seed of one living creature 

 could be artificially transferred to another. In 1758 he 

 artificially impregnated trout and salmon ova. Taking 

 the female fish when her ova were mature, he gently 

 pressed them out into a vessel of pure water, into 

 which, in like manner, he immediately introduced the 

 milt of the male. Amongst the most curious of his 

 discoveries must be reckoned his demonstration of the 

 fact that eggs taken from a fish four or five days dead, 

 and actually putrid, could be impregnated as success- 

 fully as those taken from a living fish. Practically 

 applied, as Jacobi's experiments were to a considerable 

 extent, they were apparently forgotten, when in 1849 

 the attention of the Government of France was attracted 



