448 TRANSACTIONS OF THE 



peculiarity; there is a shade of bhie on the back of both fish, 

 "With silver sides, containing dark spots of an irregular form; the 

 teeth are on the tongue; and the scales are all striated. The 

 Connecticut river was once famous for this magnificent fish ; they 

 traversed it to its highest branches, overcoming waterfalls and 

 cataracts with the greatest imaginable ease, and after depositing 

 their ova, returned to the ocean, thin and emaciated; they have 

 decreased in the same ratio that men have increased, and have 

 now become extinct. When they enter fresh water, they are 

 covered by an insect called salmon louse, which dies after the 

 third day. They are then infested with fresh-water worms, which 

 die on their return to sea. Salmon cannot be caught by any per- 

 son wearing a red shirt or cap, as they have a very great antipa- 

 thy to that color, and when alarmed will swim at the rate of 

 thirty-two miles an hour. It has been undeniably proved by 

 many successful experiments that they invariably return to the 

 streams in which they were born, to deposit their spawn, and when 

 they go back to the sea their haunts are unknown. 



Their spawning ground invariably has a gravelly bottom. On 

 reaching it they pair off, and together make their spawning bed, 

 which is often eleven feet long and nine feet wide. The female 

 forms a furrow, by by working up stream, in which she deposits 

 her ova, the male follows and ejects his milt upon them, and 

 covers them with his tail; they are frequently engaged ten days 

 in this occupation, after which the male fish directs his course 

 towards the ocean, followed ten days later by the female, she 

 having spent the intermediate time in the deep parts of the river, 

 apparently for the purpose of rest. At the expiration of ninety 

 days the fry are hatched, and have attached to each individual a 

 small sack containing the yolk; this is gradually taken into the 

 stoma.ch by the natural absorbing function of the navel, and is the 

 only food they require for some time. The same wonderful pro- 

 vision is made in the eggs of birds. On killing and dissecting a 

 chicken, half an hour after it was hatched, I found the yolk per- 

 fect and unbroken, the only difierence was, that instead of being 

 within a shell, it was within the chicken, ready formed to supply 

 the necessities of life, as fast as the system required them. This 



