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intention of shooting the spawn ; but if the weather turned 

 dark and cold they would go back again into deep water. 

 Mr. Marston had said that the eggs took seven or eight 

 days to come out ; but that was riot so. They came out 

 in twenty-four hours in favourable weather,* and that was 

 an instance which showed how impossible it was to deal 

 artificially with these fish except perch. Still, Nature 

 might be assisted, and if they could possibly get a series of 

 ponds partaking somewhat of the nature of a fish farm 

 (because small meddling never came to any good), some- 

 thing might be done. It was all very well to talk of 

 fishery associations, and Mr. Marston had given the 

 tremendous success which attended his box, but it was 

 only a success so far, that the female was there without the 

 male. They must have them both there, or it would not 

 be any good, and that was very much the result with all 

 other boxes. They must put them in the boxes, and a 

 certain proportion would vivify ; but they would come out 

 of the holes where the water went in. The only effectual 

 means would be a system of ponds, and it must be taken 

 up by somebody besides the anglers of London. They 

 might give it their support, and no doubt they would ; but 

 he should like to see the National Fish Culture Associa- 

 tion take up the question. If they would not, what on 

 earth were they constituted for? He hoped that Mr. 

 Marston and others, himself included, would be able to 

 induce the Council to take the matter up, and then the 



* I doubt this assertion. I have made inquiries in various direc- 

 tions since I read this Paper, and the result has been to confirm my 

 own statement. The fish do not all spawn at once, and the eggs first 

 deposited of course hatch out soonest. I fancy this fact has misled 

 Mr. Geen, who may have seen the eggs of a first deposit hatching 

 soon after a second or third deposit had taken place. R. B. M. 



