3928 Dublin Natural History Society. 



active, swimming with much velocity ; their backs and sides had become darker and 

 spotted ; all the fins were well developed, with the exception of the adipose or poste- 

 rior dorsal fin ; the respiratory organs were beautifully shown, but the vitelline sac had 

 not diminished in size, nor was the globular yolk in any way absorbed. The little 

 creatures would rise with great rapidity to the surface, particularly when fresh water 

 was given, dart about, then suddenly sink to the bottom, lying on their sides. I regret 

 that I lost further opportunity of witnessing their progressive development. 



" In the salmon, trout and all oviparous fish, the ova are expelled from the female, 

 and undergo development independently of the mother ; the nourishment necessary 

 for them being contained within themselves. Thus, when depositing spawn, the pa- 

 rent fish seek the shoaler grounds, as the influence of light and higher temperature are 

 absolutely necessary to the maturation and proper development of the ova, and accord- 

 ing to their peculiar habits the ova are deposited in sandy or muddy, gravelly or rocky 

 ground. In the ovo-viviparous fish, of which the picked dog-fish (Acanthias vulgaris) 

 is an example, the young are produced before expulsion, remaining for a period within 

 the parent. In the young state of the Acanthias, the vitellicle is extremely large, and 

 hangs as a pedunculate sac from the anterior abdominal portion of the body. The spe- 

 cimens exhibited were taken in the month of July, at a long distance from the land, 

 off the coast of Kerry, in 86 fathoms water, on the long lines. I took numbers out of 

 the old fish, expulsion not having taken place. 



" These few remarks, and the specimens submitted, will, I am sure, in some degree 

 satisfy the meeting of the great value and interest that the study of the habits of fishes 

 presents, and how much we have yet to arrive at in the knowledge of the generation 

 of those animals." 



Mr. Andrews concluded by referring to Mr. Warington's marine vivaria, and men- 

 tioned that he had himself found the Characeae to be most useful plants in keeping the 

 water pure. He had had Chara delicatula growing and fructifying beautifully in the 

 vase, with the water unchanged for months, merely adding fresh as evaporation took 

 place : and he had kept Amphipeplea glutinosa and several delicate Mollusca in a 

 perfectly health state. 



Specimens of the embryo trout were exhibited preserved in glycerine. 



Mr. Ffennell, Inspecting Commissioner of Fisheries, made some observations on 

 the high importance of Mr. Andrews's statements in relation to the fisheries of this 

 country. He referred to the liberal encouragement given by the French Government 

 to the artificial propagation offish in France; and mentioned that Messrs. Ashworth, 

 of Stockport had purchased property near Galway, and were successfully carrying on 

 the breeding of salmon in Lough Corrib. 



The Chairman also made some observations on the great interest of Mr. Andrews's 

 paper, as containing practical views on an important subject. He then gave a rapid 

 sketch of the phenomena of embryonic development, illustrating, by means of dia- 

 grams on the black board, the successive stages, from the first traces of organization 

 in the egg to the final escape of the little fish into the surrounding water. 



Mr. Kinahan read the commencement of his paper " On the Autumnal Song of 

 Birds." 



