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Show 30 DR. J. MURIE ON IRREGULARITY [Jan. 13, than their brethren, had been dragged out. The fishermen, well knowing that these were not indigenous fish, made a shrewd guess at the nature of their capture, and, on the 22nd of October, brought them to the Salmon Commissioners, who at once pronounced them veritable Smolts*. Before concluding, it may be well to state that the whole of the expenses hitherto incurred in the conduct of the experiment between January 1860 and October 1869 amount to _£8835 12*. 2d. Of this sum, s£6990 lis. 2d. was paid by the Tasmanian Government, .=£995 1*. by the Victorian Government, ^€200 by the Acclimatization Society of Victoria, _£300 by the Provincial Government of Canterbury, New Zealand, 56200 by the Provincial Government of Southland, New Zealand, and _6150 by the Provincial Government of Otago, New Zealand. Credit must also be given to the Victorian Government for the large amount which must have been expended in freight had not ILM.C.S.S. 'Victoria' been twice so liberally placed at the disposal of the Tasmanian Salmon Commissioners. 4. Additional Memoranda as to Irregularity in the Growth of Salmon. By J A M E S M U R I E , M.D., F.L.S., Prosector to the Society. (Plate II.) PRELIMINARY NOTICE. When I communicated to the Society some observations in connexion with the supposed arrest of development of the Salmon (see P. Z. S. 1868, p. 247), I purposely held back memoranda in support of the view therein enunciated. Having, as it were, registered the data occurring within my own ken, my further intention was to institute a series of experiments, with the object of crucially testing the truth or fallacy of the doctrine. Unforeseen circumstances happened, depriving me of that auxiliary assistance necessary for the fulfilment of the requisite conditions. But it is probable that other parties may be favourably placed to try the issue of experiments, to set the matter at rest; hence I make note of what seems a feasible plan. I propose that some one resident close to a Salmon river should obtain a quantity of impregnated and undoubted Salmo-salar ova- some of this to be forwarded, and deposited in the tanks at the Gardens, where, after hatching, careful notes of the growth and changes &c. are to be made; due precaution also to be taken that batches of the young fish shall be placed under varied circumstances, i. e. as respects the size of the reservoir, food, &c.; on the other hand, the * [One of these "Smolts" was sent home to be exhibited when tbe present paper was read, but upon being submitted to Dr. Giinther's examination was determined by him to be a dwarfed example of Salmo trutta, and not a S salar - P . L. S.] |