22 THE ANGLER-NATUEALIST. 



At the spawning-time, which differs in almost every 

 species, the fish repair, some to the gravelly shallows or 

 weedy banks of rivers, and others to the sandy bays of the 

 sea. This is sometimes called " going to hill," or " road- 

 ing." The female then deposits her eggs, in portions at a 

 time, and the male presses his milt out over them ; and 

 without this impregnation, no vivification, or hatching, can 

 take place * ; the eggs could never arrive at maturity — in 

 other words, would be addled. The female is in some in- 

 stances attended by two males, one on each side, so as to 

 secure the impregnation of the greatest amount of spawn, 

 the range of the milt being immensely increased by dif- 

 fusion in water. After this process the eggs are left 

 amongst the gravel, or sticking to weeds or other sub- 

 stances, the glutinous nature of each egg supplying the 

 means of adhesion ; and when the time (which constantly 

 varies) for the hatching of the egg arrives, the young fish 

 breaks the capsule, or shell, which has become very thin, 

 and escapes. 



The growth of the fry is rapid in proportion to the 



* A few imimportant exceptions to this rule exist. According to 

 ('■u^ier, some species of the genus Sen-amis have each lobe of roe made 

 up half of hard, and half of soft roe, and these have been considered 

 as being capable of producing fertile eggs without the assistance of 

 a second fish. This may, however, very possibly be considered as a 

 malformation rather than a natural structure. Perch, Mackerel, Carp 

 Ood, and some others have been occasionally found with a lobe of soft 

 roe on one side, and a lobe of hard roe on the other ; and in these 

 cases it is probable that the fish are proliKc alone. 



