ARTIFICIAL HATCHING OF SPAWN. 47 



every way ; but it is not, as I have said, an indis- 

 pensable necessity. 



The first ova deposited in the boxes was a quantity 

 of the ova of the Goregonus fera, sent from France. This 

 ova had been so long reaching Mr. Ponder, that it was 

 bad, and soon became putrid, and the whole of it was 

 useless. The next was some 4,000 of Ehine salmon. 

 These ova were packed carefully in a box, in layers 

 between damp moss, too great pressure being avoided, 

 and large openings being left in the lid for air. They 

 arrived in excellent condition — far better, indeed,, 

 than any subsequent ova that was received. A very 

 small per centage of them were found to be bad ; and 

 the embryo was so far developed in the egg, that 

 the eyes were very distinctly visible ; and when in 

 the water, close attention being paid to them, the 

 embryo could often be seen moving in the egg. Soon 

 after this, about 2,000 of common trout were received 

 from Huningue. They were packed like the last, but 

 had been longer on the journey, or had by some 

 means become dryer, and a much larger per centage 

 was found to be bad. They were, however, like the 

 salmon, placed some on the gravel, and some on the 

 slates. Meantime, smaU parcels of salmon ova came 

 in from Galway and Clitheroe, and a small parcel of 

 very fine trout ova from Lord Maiden. I had pro- 



