OF THE SALMONID^. 71 



pass through several sets of ova, losing its 

 oxygen in contact with animal organisms, 

 and contracting carbonic acid, and thus 

 becoming more and more effete, and finally 

 almost a deadly poison to the ova which 

 receive it last. This decomposition of 

 water by animal life, in any form, is so 

 well-established a fact that it cannot be 

 safely left out of consideration, and it is 

 surprising that Mr. Buckland did not take 

 it into account before deciding on an 

 arrangement of the ice and boxes which 

 involves serious mechanical and physio- 

 logical dangers. 



THE "DURHAM." 



Instances have already been given of the 

 danger of submitting salmon ova to con- 

 cussion, even while they are in a vessel 

 containing water, and the reader may have 

 thought that this point has been exagge- 

 rated. On the contrary, too much stress 

 cannot be laid upon it, as will be seen from 

 the following. The boxes, it will be recol- 



