CHAP, in.] PLANS FOR EXPORTING SALMON OVA. 119 



the parr in a fresh-water tank a month or two before it 

 changed into a smolt, saying that after the change it would 

 be easy to keep the smolts supplied with fresh salt water 

 direct from the sea as the ship proceeded on her voyage. 



The mode ultimately adopted was to pack up the ova in 

 a bed of ice, experiments having first been made with a view 

 to test the plan. For that purpose a large number of ova 

 were deposited in an ice-house in order to ascertain how long 

 the ripening of the egg could be deferred a condition of the 

 experiment of course being that the egg should remain quite 

 healthy. The Wenham Lake Ice Company were so obliging 

 as to allow boxes containing salmon and trout ova, packed in 

 moss, to be placed in their ice vaults, and to afford every 

 facility for the occasional examination of the eggs. Satisfac- 

 tory results being obtained in other words, it having been 

 proved that the eggs of the salmon could with perfect safety 

 be kept in ice for a period exceeding the average time of a 

 voyage to Australia it was therefore resolved that a quantity 

 of eggs, properly packed in ice, should be sent out. The 

 result of this experiment is now well known, most of the 

 daily papers having chronicled the successful exportation of 

 the ova, and announced that the fish had come to life and 

 were thriving in their foreign home. 



I do not wish to weary my readers, but must crave their 

 indulgence while I give a few of the more interesting details 

 connected with this important experiment. 



The number of ova sent out to Australia was 100,000 

 salmon and 3000 trout. The vessel selected for the conveyance 

 of the eggs was the Norfolk, which on one or two occasions had 

 made very rapid voyages. The ova were procured from the 

 Tweed, the Severn, the Kibble, and the Dovey rivers ; thus 

 England, Scotland, and Wales contributed to this precious 

 freight. One hundred and sixty-four boxes, containing about 

 90,000 ova, were placed at the bottom of the ice-house, with 



