Fish-Hatching in a Current of Water. 1 1 5 



The healthy impregnated ovum of the 

 salmon is of a deep pink colour, and consists 

 of a horny outer shell, which is filled princi- 

 pally with a semi-transparent, viscous fluid, re- 

 semhling the albumen of a hen's egg, in which 

 may be seen floating the yolk, of a pink colour, 

 and some oil globules of a deeper pink. On 

 closely examining the egg against the light 

 a spot is visible, resembling a light seen 

 through a fog, and this is the embryo of the 

 fish within. After a time a white line appears 

 dimly, curved round inside of the shell, which 

 is the outline of the fish ; the bright spot 

 becomes more definite in outline, and a faint 

 dot appears, which is the eye of the fish. 

 After a few days the head and both eyes may 

 be seen dimly, and the egg may be seen to 

 roll about in the current, without apparent 

 cause. At this stage the ova will bear trans- 

 port better than at any other time, and it 

 is most difficult to move them with safety 

 during the earliest stages of the incubatory 

 process. The knowledge of this fact is of 

 great importance to those engaged in pisci- 

 culture. 



After the eyes of the young fish are plainly 



