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Show 1884.] HYBRIDS A M O N G THE SALMONIDCE. 21 been had the fish not met with an untimely end; while the parr-marks were present, and so likewise were the silvery scales of the smolt. And as I shall show, we found at the end of November other females with ova, in all of which the parr-marks were visible. At the end of November, when again at Howietoun, I was informed that several of the fish during the night or early morning had jumped out of the pond, and it was surmised that many had so perished, but been carried off in the early hours by birds and rats. At m y first visit I was shown one which had been found dead that morning, and on the 29th there were two more, one of which (11*5 inches in length) had been partially eaten by some vermin, which had devoured the lower portion of its head. It was of a silvery smolt colour with parr-marks. On being opened it proved to be a male full of ripe milt1. A net was drawn through this pond for the purpose of examining the condition of the fish, and obtaining ova if possible, as well as milt for experimenting with. I examined three specimens, which are on the table :- B. xi. D. T\. P. 14. V. 9. A. C. 21. L. 1.117. L. tr. 21/30. No. 1. No. 2. No. 3. in. in. in. Total length of specimens 10*8 90 6 3 Length of head 2*0 1*8 1*3 „ pectoral fin 1*4 1*25 1*15 caudal 1*8 1*6 1*15 Distance from snout to base of dorsal fin . . 4*1 3*5 2*5 „ „ ,, centre of base of caudal fin 9*3 7*9 5*2 Diameter of eye 0*4 0*45 0*25 Distance of eye from end of snout 06 0*55 0*3 „ eyes apart 0*7 0 65 0*45 Height of body 2*0 1*8 1*3 No. 1 was a beautiful silvery smolt with ten distinct parr-marks when placed in certain lights. One black spot on the preopercle, three on the opercle ; the upper two thirds or half of the body spotted with black, as was likewise the lower half of the dorsal fin, which had a white anterior and outer edge. Pectoral fin nearly black in all these fish when alive. In this specimen the generative organs were not developed. The maxilla was more slender than in the hybrid of almost the same size, and which has been described. Scales: 11 rows from the adipose dorsal fin to the lateral line, and 20 rows from the lateral line to the base of the ventral fin. The extent of the cleft of the tail was 0*8, and the length of its longest ray 1*8. Its csecal appendages were longer than in the hybrids. 1 " I am not quite sure but that milt and ova might be found in a hybrid ; it has been found in parrs, and my theory is, that when this is so, the fish is the produce of a hen Salmon and a male river-Trout, as it was frequently found that a hen Salmon was spawning on the same gravel-bed with a male river- Trout."-Giinther, evidence given June 4th, 1872, in ' The Parr and Salmon Controversy.' (Second Edition, 1883, page 128.) |