Chapt. xvi. Suspending the animation of ova. 221 



year of his life. The thing is for us to ascertain it and 

 make use of it, both for fishing and piscicultural purposes. 

 In the hope that this book will fall into the hands of 

 some few who are not only fishermen, but naturalists 

 also and pisciculturists, I take the opportunity of repeat- 

 ing an idea thrown out by me in 1868, but which from 

 being in an official report never got any further than the 

 Government shelves, and the few newspaper columns in 

 which it was reprinted; and I repeat the idea in the hope 

 that it may be worked out, and brought if possible to 

 some practical use, not only in India, but also in Aus- 

 tralia, Burmah, and the warmer parts of China and 

 America, in short in any tropical clime in which there 

 is more of sun than ice. I quote therefore from my own 

 report: "Long before the commencement of pisciculture 

 "as a science, Aristotle, and subsequently Mr. Yarrel, 

 "and Sir J. Emerson Tennent,* had observed that 'the 

 '^'impregnated ova of the fish of one rainy season are 

 "'left unhatched in the mud through the dry season, 

 "'and from their low state of organisation as ova, the 

 " 'vitality is preserved till the recurrence and contact of 

 "'the rain and oxygen in the next wet season, when vi- 

 '"vification takes place from their joint influence.' It 

 "would seem, therefore, that we need not be disheartened 

 "at being met with the objection that ice and moss are 

 "not as easily procured in India for the transportation 

 "of ova as in England. We have at least reasonable 

 "ground for' entertaining the hope that in the tropical 



* And I since find Buchanan also. 



