50 
THE CALIFORNIAN SALMON. 
being removed, the eggs were visible through the thin net- 
like web which covered them, and at once it was evident, 
to my great delight, that they were in splendid preserva- 
tion, and far advanced in hatching, the eyes of the young 
fish being clearly visible. 
The ova were packed in layers in a box or ice-chest, 
about three feet by four feet, and about two feet in depth. 
They were placed between two pieces of mosquito net, 
about seven thousand in each layer, and a layer of moss 
about two inches deep between each two layers, and also 
above and below the ova. Six inches of ice was placed 
over the eggs, and the bottom of the box was pierced with 
holes, to allow the escape of water from the melting ice. 
The ice was renewed every twelve hours on the voyage 
from Sydney to Melbourne. The box had an inner lining, 
enclosing about four inches of sawdust, to act as a non- 
conductor, and which answered the object sufficiently well. 
The weak points in the packing were the use of cotton 
net, which rots and gets mouldy, while the moss remains 
green and fresh, and also that the ova were too closely 
packed together. Tor a short voyage this matters little, 
but in a long distance the difference is great, as when one 
egg loses vitality it soon decays, and the byssus, or fungus, 
which quickly forms, attacks all the ova within reach, 
which adhere to each other, and although little altered in 
appearance, these ova invariably perish in the hatching. 
With little loss of time the ova were transferred to the 
gravel of the hatching-boxes, which had been prepared 
with great care, by being screened to ensure a uniform 
size, and by boiling, to destroy insect germs which might 
be injurious to the ova. All were got into the hatching- 
boxes the same evening, except one layer of about seven 
thousand, which were left under the ice until next morning. 
About 6 per cent, of dead eggs were taken out at once, 
