38 ANECDOTES OF FISHES 



who sent a man with a horse to carry it into his 

 field for manure. By the time this man had 

 dug a little way into the heap of dung, the 

 fellow began to hop and caper about, crying? 

 " Snakes' eggs! snakes' eggs!" and laid about 

 him in all directions with his shovel, to crush 

 and destroy them. He had himself no idea but 

 that they really were the eggs of this reptile, 

 which it is well known deposits them in dung- 

 hills ; but presently after, the head of the salmon 

 and the back -bone made their appearance. 

 These eggs were full as large as the top of a 

 man's finger; they must, then, have grown there 

 to that size, from the bigness of swan-shot ; from 

 what causes it must be conjectured. It is to be 

 lamented that here the fact ends, and that an 

 examination of some of the eggs had not taken 

 place. Still it must appear very wonderful to 

 every one, that the pea of the fish, under such 

 circumstances, should have retained life for such 

 a length of time, and have grown so very consi- 

 derably. The only inferences which I draw from 

 this fact are, first, that the eggs continue to 

 grow after they are laid, and until they are vivi- 

 fied by the heat of the sun; and, secondly, that 

 they attain a size equal to the production of a 

 fish three inches in length. I need not add, that 

 they are very little larger than this when we be- 

 come first acquainted with them in the character 

 and under the name of fry, and see them making 



