164 FISH HATCHING. 



" Sir, — As another instance in the strange 

 anomaly in the growth of salmon, I send you 

 three specimens taken from the Stormontfield 

 pond on April 1. As the label on the bottle 

 tells, they were spawned from salmon roe 

 about the end of December, 1861 ; they 

 came to life and were hatched in April, 1862 ; 

 they have been fed in the same pond, and 

 you will observe what an amazing difference 

 there is in the size and growth, the largest 

 being 6^ inches, and weighing 646 grains ; 

 the second Sf inches, weighing 135 grains ; 

 and the third 2-|- inches, weighing 26 grains. 



" You will observe that No. 3 is a tiny little 

 creature with the parr marks on it ; No. 2 

 has the incipient scales on it ; and No, 1 with 

 these scales far advanced. I have no doubt 

 that at least No. 1, had he been left in the 



