1004 OYSTERS, AND ALL ABOUT THEM. 



one years for its duration, and if no objections are raised 

 in the locality against the order, the latter may be con- 

 firmed by Her Majesty in Council without the expense of 

 a special Act. 



. The 1 5th section . . . is of great Anglo- 

 French international importance. The Convention in the 

 Act of 1843 is revived so far as it regards the jurisdiction 

 of British courts over French fishermen. It will be remem- 

 bered that the Act of 1868 repealed the Convention in 

 the Act of 1843, and also that the Convention contained 

 in the Act of 1868 never came into operation, because the 

 day to be fixed for its commencement was, in fact, never 

 fixed at all. 



The enactments briefly noticed above embody the 

 only legislation which now prevails for the protection of 

 either spawning-grounds, spawning-places, or spawning- 

 beds. 



I am afraid that these terms may appear somewhat 

 ambiguous to some of my readers, and for this reason 

 alone venture to draw a distinction between them. 



Although a fishing ground is not necessarily a spawn- 

 ing ground, it is obvious that those parts of the sea are most 

 fished which are believed to contain the most fish, and the 

 most fish will naturally be found near spawning grounds. 

 Little, however, is known of the exact locality of spawning 

 grounds, and it is probable that many of them vary in 

 situation from year to year. The knowledge of the site 

 both of fishing ground and spawning ground is acquired by 

 experience alone ; and experimental knowledge increases 

 very slowly amongst fishermen. Directed by prudence, they 

 naturally prefer using the same known grounds year after 

 year to the risk of seeking entirely new ones, although it is 



