,
'
THE HABITS. OÊÈ"FISHES
'
43
,
Most species}spævn only once a year and-this may be taken
as the primitiveÏe'ÿëôhdition.: Crystallog‘@hius and some of“thé
'
small -Scopelids (Tâning) appear to
lifetime, When they aeg_oneÏyear
The Eels also spàWn
only once,' :but they
folder. The COmmon
Bel, which
immatüre3;rï1£æy remain
'
_
there from ten-tofourteen‘ yearsï before
become
«
The reason why these
“spawnf Only once
appears to be, that thewhole organ p_ens at one time—and
.
the strain on the sh is so great-, that—eithei;the tiSsues disi—
itegrate or the sh is t00 exhaustedtorecover Many Of
the Salmon :perish in this Way, and one Aiécan species,
that runs up the riveïs on…äthe;Pacid
a long distance,
-
is said:n‘otto retui‘n.r
'
;
'
'
In most cases,
eggs ripen gradually,
batch after another ,otherwrsethe shes Would all
_
,
fate;
'Ithasbeen calculated
-
eXar'nplèÏ'thäxt’the' Weight-'adïvolume of the Whole massof
j
eggsithè Plaice When fully mature
those ;ofiheÏsh itself. _Î This sûcCessiÇn in‘the rrpemngof
theovaandeggs 15alsoseen in some of thev1v1parous shes
=
Mostofthesearealsoannual
bm=liaithêîfdinutive
…
‘
’ïÏ:
thiñgïähaëariæn- Some oftheseareableteproduceupto
seven clutches’ or broods-ii1
'
male is sufcient for thelot.(1%— to 2 ins.) to this excessive reproduction and the manner
Thenumberof eggs laid by shes varies in a remarable
'
“degree
the same species. “ The
youngerfspeëimens have fewer eggs than the olderandthe * =
'
smaller in size., ;Th'cÏ activgshesthatpayllttle
'
‘ràttenbn t‘oîtheir o“SpringusuallyhaV€aver?1afää‘îmm’Êr 5
bfiëggs4 up —to mnymllnhthdntrynd
handandthesmeoftheshandusmodeofhfeontheother
somesheslaythelreggst0gethermastfmg“mass ÏÏ