CHAPTER OF VARIETIES. 



of an hour. The rain spurting off all around me, in the channels of 

 the leaf, was conveyed along the line of each depending filament, 

 between fold and fold, in little streams, so as to' fall quite clear away 

 from me. 



I shall beg leave to resume my communications with you from the 

 West Indies, from whence I shall take opportunities to transmit you 

 such specimens of natural history as I may procure, capable of being 

 conveniently sent. I' look upon this attention, to one contributing so 

 earnestly and well to the information and amusement of the public, as 

 a matter of duty*. 



Gloucester Street, Blootmbury , 2nd Nov. 



CHAPTER OF VARIETIES. 



Notice of a paper by dr. knox, on the natural history 

 of the salmon. — {Read at the Royal Society of Edinburgh,}- — 

 The object of the author was a careful examination of facts in the 

 natural history of the salmon, which hitherto have been taken merely 

 upon opinion. He watched and carefully observed personally the 

 deposition of the ova or eggs of the salmon under the gravel, — its long 

 confinement in that situation, — its growth into a fish of about an inch 

 in length, — its ascent through the gravel, and rapid growth whilst in 

 the rivers : the journals of observation were partly read to the Society. 

 Twenty weeks was the period from the time of deposition to their burst- 

 ing the outer shell ; for nine days longer they continued under the gravel 

 as fishes, drawing their nourishment from the yolk of the egg, which 

 is of course attached to them by the umbilical vessels, or, more properly, 

 by the ompholo-mesenteric vessels. During this period, they do not 

 eat or grow much, but without doubt acquire strength. When the 

 yolk on which they have been feeding becomes nearly exhausted, they 

 rise from their sandy and gravelly bed, making their way to the. 

 surface, through a thickness varying from one to two feet, and at last 

 gain their new habitat in the waters. In ten days they may be caught 

 in the rivers, very considerably grown, and in twenty days have- 

 attained a length varying from six to nine inches. 



* Our readers, with ourselves, must deeply regret the temporary (as we 

 hope) interruption of the exceedingly interesting contributions of our corre- 

 spondent. Nothing could be more acceptable than what he so liberally pro- 

 mises.— Editor. 



VOL. I. NO. XII. (DECEMBER, 1833.) T T 



