﻿58 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  the 
  milt, 
  I 
  used 
  Zeiss 
  ocular 
  4, 
  and 
  objective 
  

   F, 
  giving 
  an 
  enlargement 
  of 
  050 
  diameters. 
  

  

  The 
  Eg(J. 
  

  

  The 
  freshly 
  laid 
  egg 
  varies 
  in 
  diameter 
  from 
  Jo 
  to 
  -Jq 
  of 
  an 
  

   inch, 
  and 
  is 
  somewhat 
  irregular 
  in 
  outline, 
  although 
  gener- 
  

   ally 
  round 
  or 
  oval. 
  Fig. 
  1, 
  PI 
  I. 
  The 
  number 
  of 
  eggs 
  

   which 
  an 
  average 
  size 
  fish 
  will 
  spawn 
  is 
  about 
  forty 
  thou- 
  

   s 
  md. 
  I 
  estimated, 
  by 
  weighing 
  and 
  counting, 
  the 
  number 
  

   in 
  a 
  fe.TJale 
  Smelt 
  7:^ 
  inches 
  long, 
  I'rom 
  Little 
  Xarragansett 
  

   Bay, 
  R. 
  I., 
  to 
  be 
  seventy 
  thousand, 
  and 
  this 
  after 
  making 
  

   due 
  allowance 
  for 
  errors. 
  The 
  average 
  length 
  of 
  fish 
  from 
  

   the 
  Raritan 
  river 
  is 
  less 
  than 
  tliis, 
  and 
  will 
  not 
  I'all 
  far 
  sliort 
  

   of 
  5 
  inches. 
  

  

  The 
  eggs, 
  as 
  they 
  issue 
  from 
  the 
  female, 
  are 
  enclosed 
  in 
  

   or 
  surrounded 
  by 
  a 
  mucous 
  or 
  viscid 
  substance, 
  which 
  seems 
  

   to 
  form 
  a 
  sort 
  of 
  protection 
  for 
  the 
  e^^j:. 
  This 
  viscid 
  sub- 
  

   stance 
  has 
  a 
  tendency 
  to 
  adhere 
  to 
  whatever 
  it 
  touches 
  — 
  and, 
  

   although 
  the 
  eggs 
  separate 
  as 
  soon 
  as 
  they 
  touch 
  the 
  water, 
  

   yet 
  if 
  in 
  passing 
  toward 
  the 
  bottom 
  they 
  touch 
  any 
  object, 
  

   such 
  as 
  a 
  leaf, 
  twig, 
  or 
  bit 
  of 
  weed, 
  they 
  remain 
  attached 
  to 
  

   it. 
  The 
  water 
  then 
  appears 
  to 
  act 
  as 
  a 
  hardening 
  agent 
  

   upon 
  this 
  viscid 
  coating, 
  causing 
  it 
  to 
  " 
  set 
  " 
  in 
  the 
  form 
  of 
  

   a 
  sack 
  around 
  the 
  egg, 
  with 
  a 
  slender 
  stalk 
  or 
  handle 
  

   between 
  the 
  egg 
  and 
  its 
  attachment. 
  Fig. 
  8, 
  PI. 
  I. 
  Some- 
  

   times 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  eggs 
  remain 
  in 
  a 
  little 
  bunch 
  together, 
  or 
  

   are 
  gathered 
  together 
  by 
  falling 
  one 
  upon 
  another 
  ; 
  the 
  

   "setting" 
  of 
  the 
  mucous 
  around 
  each 
  one 
  then 
  transforms 
  

   them 
  into 
  a 
  cluster, 
  Fig. 
  5, 
  PI. 
  I, 
  much 
  resembling 
  the 
  egg 
  

   clusters 
  of 
  the 
  Cray-fisli. 
  This 
  outer 
  coating 
  of 
  the 
  egg 
  or 
  

   ovum 
  presents 
  a 
  granulated 
  or 
  dotted 
  appearance 
  as 
  if 
  

   having 
  a 
  great 
  number 
  of 
  pores 
  or 
  openings; 
  but 
  I 
  have 
  

   been 
  able 
  to 
  discover 
  no 
  openings 
  in 
  small 
  pieces 
  of 
  the 
  

   shell, 
  even 
  with 
  Zeiss 
  ocular 
  4, 
  objective 
  F, 
  and 
  am 
  inclined 
  

   to 
  believe 
  it 
  the 
  effect 
  of 
  the 
  hardening 
  or 
  "setting" 
  process. 
  

  

  