THE CALIFORNIAN SALMON. 
119 
of the Swiss lakes, with habits similar to that of the Salmo 
fario — were fecundated with the milt of the salmon trout. 
These ova were hatched in January, 1873, and the alevins 
had grown rapidly, being, at the age of six months, three 
and a half inches long ; at twenty-two months, averaging 
seven inches ; at thirty-four months, eleven and a half 
inches ; and at forty-two months, over thirteen inches. 
The females of this new variety produced eggs at the age of 
twenty-two months; hut as the males had already shed 
their milt, that of a male trout was used to fertilise the 
eggs, and these were hatched successfully ; and the alevins 
made more rapid growth than trout of the same age, and 
continued to thrive in a way that indicated a robust con- 
stitution. This is an instance of the ease with which even 
dissimilar kinds of salmonoids can be hybridised, and the 
progeny not being unfertile indicates a near relationship 
between the two species. In these experiments, what is 
called the “dry” system of fertilisation of the ova was 
practised — that is, the ova and the seminal fluid were 
brought in contact in a pan, without being immersed in 
water. This system, which was first discovered in Bussia, 
has produced a larger percentage of fertile eggs than the 
old method of fertilisation in water. 
On the 1st August of this year (1878) I examined the 
different small salmonoids in my ponds at Ercildoune. 
The Californian salmon had been some time ago divided 
into two lots, and placed in two small ponds, the larger 
sized fish in one and the smaller in another. Both lots 
were regularly fed with liver in the same way. I measured 
the largest and smallest in each lot, and found in one that 
the largest fish was 4f inches in length, and the smallest 
Sj inches. In the other lot the largest was 4i inches long 
and the smallest 3 inches. These fish are now about eight * 
months old, but those that I retained were the largest and 
