PROCEEDINGS OF SOCIETIES. 
141 
of the water more or less influenced the earlier or the later development of the ova. 
The ova deposited in the beds of some rivers did not produce the fry for 120 to 130 
days. Mr. Samuel Gurney, jun., of Carshalton, had successfully impregnated 
and distributed the ova of the fine trout of the river Wandle, and had also intro¬ 
duced the trout of other rivers of England to the Wandle. He had successfully 
sent the ova to New Zealand ; and the trout of the Wandle were now flourishing in 
the rivers of that country. Valuable experiments in science might be worked by 
the enclosure (where practicable) of a salt-water inlet at the mouth of a river in 
which the ova would be propagated, and allowing the fry, according to instinct, to 
take their course to the salt water. Mr. Andrews did not clearly understand Mr. 
Ffennell as to the habits of the salmon on the spawning beds, nor did he concur in 
such views. Our northern and eastern rivers appeared to produce earlier fish than 
our western rivers. Much depended on the temperature of the waters, and those 
rivers connected with extensive lakes have a much higher temperature than Alpine 
rivers. Mr. Andrews did not think that the periods of span ning were the same in 
all rivers ; that there were early periods as well as late periods of spawning, and that 
clean fish are earlier in some rivers, and of a later run in other rivers—that in some 
rivers in Wales and in Scotland, salmon are in prime marketable condition very 
early in the season, and the greater part of the year—such as the Usk in Wales, and 
the Kirkaig in Scotland. Mr. Andrews noticed the instance of the River Caragh in 
Kerry, where years since he had seen the salmon in abundance and in the primest 
condition in the month of January. In the Slaney, that he had often fished, he had 
seen salmon in prime condition in October. The River Bandon he had heard was a 
late spawning river, and that salmon were in good condition late in the season. He 
could notice many cases in the western rivers relative to the habits of the salmon, 
and he certainly was of opinion that a difference existed in some lakes and rivers 
with regard to the periods of the condition of the fish. 
Mr. Ffennell said he did not agree with Mr. Andrews ; he, however, was aware 
that prime fish had been obtained in the Caragh in the month of January, and at 
periods when they were not in condition in other rivers ; but he supported the views 
of the same periods of the close season throughout the country—that in England, 
Scotland, and Ireland, the periods of spawning were uniform, and that no differ¬ 
ences as to the season occurred. 
Mr. Andrews asked Mr. Ffennell when he supposed the clean fish, known to 
occur in the Caragh, in the month of January, spawned. 
Mr. Ffennell said that the fish remained in the lake throughout the summer, and 
spawned the following November. 
Mr. Williams put the question, did those fish remain in the fresh water through¬ 
out the year ? 
Mr. Ffennell said they did. 
Mr. Andrews could not believe that salmon could be in a healthy condition for 
spawning in November, remaining in the fresh water throughout the summer. 
Mr. Ffennell said he was responsible for the opinions he put forward, as they 
were all grounded upon his own actual observations. 
Mr. Andrews said he had intended making some observations upon the Sygna- 
thidae, or pipe-fish family, and particularly with reference to the habits and spawn¬ 
ing states of Sygnathus typhle. The lateness of the evening would prevent his 
entering into the remarks at present. Mr. Andrews had obtained, in Dingle Har¬ 
bour, the two varieties of S. typhle, known on the shores of Finland, in the Baltic 
and the Cattegat. It was there denoted Tongsnallor, on account of their quick mo¬ 
tions among algae. Many of our harbour fish, on the west coast, were identical with 
those on the shores of Finland, and many that we reject are used by the poorer 
classes in Russia. Sand smelts, which in Russia are termed Snetky, are thrown 
into brine, then dried in an oven, being placed on straw to prevent their being burnt; 
these, with other fish similarly dried, are made into soup, thickened with barley 
grits, and form the food of the lower orders in the Isle of Cronstadt. Minnows and 
gudgeons are dried in a similar manner, and sold at twenty-five copecks per lb.— 
a copeck is the eleventh part of a penny. These are used with salted peas and 
beans by the poorer classes during the protracted winters, and in the long fasts 
prescribed by the Greek religion. 
