Fishes. 4711 



tion of the mystery depended simply on the placing a portion of the 

 contents of the stomach under a strong lens, which I took care to be 

 provided with. Strange as it may seem, nevertheless, the fact is cer- 

 tain, and now I believe admitted by all, that no one had ever thought 

 of this before. 



The species of the Entomostraca first discovered belonged to the 

 genus Lynceus, but several other genera were observed ; and in winter 

 (14th December, 1832, for I had the lakes fished expressly for this 

 inquiry), the Cyclops of Miiller of several species most abounded. 

 Thus, instead of living on air and water, the vendace consumes daily, 

 no doubt, thousands of shell-fish, a highly nutritive food ; the roe of 

 these Entomostraca, being swallowed with the parent, contributing to 

 render the food still more nutritious. 



The mystery was now at an end. I have sometimes thought that 

 the villagers were not over well pleased at so simple a solution of what 

 they had so pleasantly and so frequently discussed. A dissenting 

 clergyman of the place wrote an article against my views, or rather 

 against myself, which article was published in a work * so replete 

 with error as to stand, I believe, unparalled in the history of com- 

 pilations. Another parson,f a man of common sense and fond of 

 science, recommended the dissenter to see me first, and examine 

 with me the food of the vendace, for himself; in other words, " to 

 test the fact by an appeal to the materials." This he declined doing, 

 for reasons I need not state. The contempt of the class I speak of 

 for physical truths is extreme, but this lamentable frailty, so detri- 

 mental to the best interests of mankind, does not fortunately extend 

 to all theologians. 



This unlooked for discovery opened up at once a vast field of 

 inquiry ; in fact I commenced with the vendace knowing the difficul- 

 ties which awaited its extension to some other gregarious fishes larger 

 than the vendace, that is, the herring, the early spring trout of Loch 

 Leven, and the char. 



Before proceeding to these, I shall allude to several facts made out 

 as to the natural history of the vendace, facts ascertained during the 

 course of frequent journeys to Lochmaben ; they may be useful to the 

 naturalist who may hereafter more fully describe the Corregoui. The 

 notion that, like the herring, the vendace dies immediately on being 

 removed from the lake was disproved at once, by bringing them to the 



* ' The Statistical Account of Scotland.' Blackwood, 

 f Dr. Macfcnigkt. 



