74 



In ''Vitiations on the Life-History 



TABLE XVIII. 

 KELTS. 



From the length of the fish it is manifest that most of these are 

 kelts of the late-coming fish October and November salmon. 



Whether the smaller fish which come from the sea earlier in the year 

 descend at an earlier date is not shown by these results. 



The table bhows : 



( 1 ) That, as might be expected, the kelts are lighter per fish of standard 

 length than the unspawned fish. 



(2) The amount of muscle is rather greater than in the unspawned 

 fish. This is of interest in connection with Miescher Ruesch's descrip- 

 tion of the possible regeneration of the muscle from the ova retained in 

 the peritoneal cavity. 



(3) The weight of the ovaries is smaller than in the fish coming to 

 the rivers in May and June. It should be mentioned that in all these 

 kelts a considerable number of unshed ripe ova were always found in 

 the abdominal cavity. 



As compared with winter salmon 72 and 79 (Table I., p. 65), the 

 weight of ovaries in the kelt is not appreciably smaller. The average 

 weight of ovaries in 72 and 79 was 81 grms. per fish of standard 

 length. The average weight in the kelts was 58 grms. ; but while the 

 ovaries of 79 were only GG grms. per fish of standard length, kelt 82 had 

 ovaries of 83 grms. 



GENERAL CONCLUSIONS FROM THESE RESULTS. 

 These figures throw important light upon several questions : 

 1st. They confirm the conclusions arrived at by Mr. Archer in his 



