48 
THE CALIFORNIAN SALMON. 
year 1876, which arrived in Melbourne after a passage of 
63 days. It was found, on examination, that about two- 
thirds of the ova had perished, and owing to the unusually 
hot season, the hatching proved a complete failure, 
although ice was freely used. They were divided into four 
lots, one of which was placed in hatching-boxes in the ice- 
house at Melbourne; one at Greelong, under the care of the 
Greelong Fish Acclimatising Society ; one at Ballarat, 
under the care of Dr. Whitcombe, who undertook the 
charge ; and one at Ercildoune. Out of the entire ship- 
ment landed in Melbourne only five fish were hatched, 
which were from the lot sent to Ercildoune. The tem- 
perature of the water during the hatching was from 60 
deg. to 65 deg., and although there was a large quantity of 
ice used, the high temperature was undoubtedly the main 
cause of the failure. In the moiety which went to New 
Zealand, a more favourable result was obtained, and 1,500 
fry were liberated in the Aparima River, being the produce 
of this shipment. That greater success was attained in 
New Zealand, was doubtless owing in a great measure to 
the low temperature of the rivers there, the fish having 
been hatched under a rill of water, at a temperature of 
only 50 deg. Eahrenheit. 
The enormous loss of ova in these shipments, appeared 
to me to be owing in a great measure, to the eggs 
having been shipped immediately after impregnation. It 
is well known by pisciculturists, that in this stage, the 
principle of life in the egg is most easily destroyed, 
whereas, at a later period, when the embryo has reached 
a further stage of development, the ova will bear 
an amount of shaking and rough usage, that would 
inevitably be fatal to them at an earlier period. To test 
this point, I telegraphed to my London agents, Messrs. 
Robert Brooks and Co., to have a few hundred ova 
forwarded in the ice-house of the Peninsular and Oriental 
