THE SALMON. 167 



river) which had been used as males, were kept 

 alive till spring, when they assumed the migratory 

 dress of young salmon, " and no mistake." He 

 then tried a corresponding experiment by impreg- 

 nating the ova of three adult salmon taken from 

 the river, with the milt of three parr bred in the 

 confinement of the ponds, and the result was like- 

 wise the same, both as to hatching and final growth; 

 this fact, showing at the same time the constitu- 

 tional strength of the pond-bred parents, and that 

 they had not deteriorated, or been altered in their 

 natural character and attributes, as by some sup- 

 posed. The individuals used in these experiments 

 are preserved in the Museum of the Royal Society, 

 where any one interested may satisfy himself re- 

 garding their identity with the so-called parr. 



But one of the most singular and conclusive cir- 

 cumstances connected with these later experiments 

 is this, that one of the male parrs so used (No. J 2), 

 was itself produced between a preceding parr and a 

 female adult salmon in other words, it was what 

 Naturalists in the days of the supposed specific dis- 

 tinction of the parr and salmon would have called 

 a hybrid or mule. Now, it is admitted by physiolo- 

 gists, that the general rule in relation to these mixed 

 productions from kinds not specifically the same, 

 is, that they do not breed. Yet this male parr, 

 originally produced from a parr and salmon, has 

 itself become the parent of a numerous and healthy 

 progeny of most promising fry. It had, in fact, 

 been objected to Mr. Shaw's earlier experiments, 

 that by a forced alliance between the parr and sal- 



