216 ha Agassiz on 
work I got not even a nibble from either this or any other 
species of fish. I determined to change the bait, to put upon 
my hook a portion of the fish already caught, and cut for that 
purpose into the largest of the two fish caught. I intended 
to take a piece from the thin part of the belly, when what 
was my surprise to see coming from the opening thus made 
a small live fish. This IJ at first supposed to be prey which 
this fish had swallowed; but on further opening the fish, I 
was vastly astonished to find next to the back of the fish and 
slightly attached to it, a long very light violet bag, so clear 
and so transparent, that I could already distinguish through 
it the shape, colour, and formation of a multitude of small 
jish (all fac-similes of each other) with which it was well 
jilled. 1 took it on board (we were occupying a small vessel 
which we had purchased for surveying purposes); when I 
opened the bag, I took therefrom eighteen more of the young 
fish, precisely like in size, shape, and colour, the first I had 
accidently extracted. The mother was very large round her 
centre, and of a very dark brown colour, approaching about 
the back and on the fins a black colour, and a remarkably 
vigorous fish. 'The young which I took from her were in 
shape, save as to rotundity, perfect miniatures of the mother, 
formed like her, and of the same general proportions, except 
that the old one was (probably owing to her pregnancy) 
much broader and wider between the top of the dorsal and 
the ventral fins, in proportion to her length than the young 
were. As to colour, they were in all respects like the mother, 
though the shades were many degrees lighter. Indeed, they 
were in all respects like their mother and like each other, 
the same peculiar mouth, the same position and shape of the 
fins, and the same eyes and gills; and there cannot remain 
in the mind of any one who sees the fish in the same state 
that I did, a single doubt that these young were the offspring 
of the fish from whose body I took them, and that this species 
of fish gives birth to her young alive and perfectly formed, 
and adapted to secking its own livelihood in the water. 
The number of young in the bag was nineteen, (I fear I mis- 
stated the number in my former letter), and every one as 
brisk and lively, and as much at home in a bucket of salt 
