﻿328 
  dr 
  davy's 
  observations 
  on 
  the 
  charr. 
  

  

  Lietch 
  of 
  Keswick, 
  frequents 
  in 
  the 
  spawning 
  season 
  a 
  pool 
  of 
  a 
  little 
  mountain 
  

   river, 
  called, 
  from 
  the 
  circumstance, 
  the 
  " 
  Charr 
  Dub," 
  about 
  300 
  yards 
  from 
  the 
  

   head 
  of 
  the 
  lake; 
  itself 
  (the 
  pool) 
  about 
  120 
  yards 
  in 
  length, 
  and 
  about 
  or 
  7 
  

   yards 
  in 
  width, 
  with 
  a 
  sandy, 
  gravelly 
  bottom, 
  and 
  large 
  stones 
  here 
  and 
  there 
  

   interspersed. 
  In 
  this 
  pool, 
  it 
  is 
  said 
  that 
  the 
  fish 
  congregate, 
  with 
  great 
  regu- 
  

   larity 
  as 
  to 
  time, 
  about 
  the 
  7th 
  or 
  8th 
  of 
  November, 
  and 
  remain 
  there 
  usually 
  

   about 
  a 
  fortnight, 
  when, 
  having 
  performed 
  the 
  function 
  for 
  which 
  they 
  came, 
  they 
  

   return 
  to 
  the 
  deep 
  water 
  of 
  the 
  lake. 
  

  

  I 
  make 
  this 
  statement 
  in 
  consequence 
  of 
  some 
  naturalists, 
  guided 
  by 
  the 
  ana- 
  

   logy 
  of 
  the 
  best-known 
  species 
  of 
  the 
  Salmonidse, 
  having 
  inferred 
  that, 
  like 
  them, 
  

   the 
  charr 
  can 
  breed 
  only 
  in 
  running 
  water, 
  and 
  that 
  its 
  being 
  seen 
  in 
  large 
  

   numbers 
  in 
  the 
  spawning 
  season 
  in 
  shallow 
  water 
  in 
  lakes, 
  was 
  only 
  preparatory 
  

   to 
  ascending 
  the 
  streams. 
  The 
  weight 
  of 
  evidence 
  against 
  this 
  conclusion 
  is 
  such, 
  

   that 
  I 
  think 
  it 
  cannot 
  be 
  maintained 
  ; 
  nevertheless, 
  it 
  appeared 
  to 
  me 
  worth 
  

   while 
  to 
  make 
  a 
  few 
  experiments 
  for 
  the 
  purpose, 
  if 
  possible, 
  of 
  testing 
  it. 
  With 
  

   this 
  intent, 
  portions 
  of 
  roe, 
  after 
  having 
  been 
  mixed 
  with 
  liquid 
  milt, 
  were 
  put 
  

   into 
  vessels, 
  some 
  of 
  earthenware, 
  some 
  of 
  glass, 
  with 
  a 
  limited 
  quantity 
  of 
  water 
  

   (not 
  changed 
  during 
  the 
  trial) 
  ; 
  some 
  in 
  the 
  open 
  air, 
  some 
  within 
  doors. 
  This 
  

   was 
  done 
  on 
  the 
  4th 
  of 
  November, 
  using 
  the 
  roe 
  that 
  had 
  been 
  obtained 
  on 
  the 
  

   30th 
  of 
  October, 
  the 
  same 
  as 
  that 
  from 
  which 
  three 
  ova, 
  as 
  already 
  mentioned, 
  

   had 
  been 
  hatched 
  in 
  forty-one 
  days. 
  None 
  of 
  these 
  trials 
  were 
  perfectly 
  success- 
  

   ful 
  : 
  excepting 
  in 
  one, 
  no 
  progress 
  towards 
  development 
  was 
  observable. 
  This 
  

   was 
  in 
  the 
  instance 
  of 
  ova 
  contained 
  in 
  a 
  glass 
  bottle 
  of 
  eight 
  ounces 
  capacity, 
  the 
  

   water 
  about 
  two 
  inches 
  deep, 
  and 
  kept 
  in 
  a 
  room, 
  the 
  temperature 
  of 
  which 
  was 
  

   commonly 
  about 
  55°. 
  On 
  the 
  26th 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  month, 
  marks 
  of 
  progress 
  were 
  

   observable 
  in 
  one 
  of 
  these 
  ova 
  ; 
  the 
  eyes 
  of 
  the 
  embryo 
  were 
  apparent 
  as 
  black 
  

   specks, 
  and 
  vessels 
  carrying 
  red 
  blood 
  were 
  to 
  be 
  seen 
  ramifying 
  in 
  the 
  vitelline 
  

   membrane. 
  The 
  development 
  went 
  no 
  farther. 
  Even 
  imperfect 
  as 
  this 
  result 
  is, 
  

   is 
  it 
  not 
  in 
  favour 
  of 
  the 
  conclusion 
  that 
  running 
  water 
  is 
  not 
  essential 
  to 
  the 
  

   hatching 
  of 
  the 
  fish 
  ? 
  

  

  Mr 
  Reynolds 
  mixed 
  together 
  the 
  roe 
  of 
  a 
  lake 
  trout 
  and 
  the 
  fluid 
  milt 
  of 
  a 
  

   charr, 
  which 
  he 
  placed 
  in 
  his 
  breeding-boxes 
  in 
  November. 
  In 
  70 
  days 
  some 
  of 
  

   the 
  ova 
  were 
  hatched, 
  and 
  the 
  young 
  fish 
  had 
  a 
  hybrid 
  character, 
  the 
  fish 
  them- 
  

   selves 
  having 
  much 
  the 
  appearance 
  of 
  the 
  charr 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  age, 
  whilst 
  the 
  yolk 
  

   attached, 
  with 
  its 
  few 
  large 
  richly-coloured 
  oil 
  globules, 
  was 
  exactly 
  similar 
  to 
  

   that 
  of 
  the 
  trout. 
  Is 
  not, 
  I 
  would 
  ask, 
  this 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  ova 
  of 
  the 
  one 
  species 
  

   can 
  be 
  fertilized 
  by 
  the 
  spermatic 
  fluid 
  of 
  the 
  other, 
  in 
  favour 
  also 
  of 
  the 
  conclu- 
  

   sion 
  that 
  the 
  breeding-places 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  are 
  different 
  ? 
  Were 
  they 
  not 
  so, 
  as 
  the 
  

   breeding 
  season 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  is 
  the 
  same, 
  a 
  constant 
  crossing 
  would 
  be 
  almost 
  

   unavoidable, 
  and 
  a 
  confusion 
  and 
  loss 
  of 
  species 
  would 
  be 
  an 
  almost 
  necessary 
  

   consequence. 
  

  

  