14 



BRITISH FISH AND FISHERIES. 



the Phil. Trans., 1767, may serve to convey 

 some idea of the natural increase of fishes, and 

 the necessity of a counterbalancing havoc ; 

 shoAvirig how wisely the Almighty has adapted 

 the laws of existence to the great end to be 

 answered : 



Mr. Yarrell observes, that " Bloch found six 

 hundred thousand ova (eggs) in the roe of a 

 female carp of nine pounds' weight ; and 

 Schneider, seven hundred thousand in a fish of 

 ten pounds' weight." 



From the incidental comparison in the pas- 

 sage of Genesis, in question, we learn an in- 

 teresting fact that, from remote antiquity, the 

 habits of animals have attracted observation ; 

 and that, as respects fishes, their extraordinary 

 numerical increase was known even to the 

 patriarchs of old ; or rather, so generally as 



