J. PISCICULTURE AND THE FISHERIES. 445 



alive into the waters. Some of them immediately passed 

 down to the sea, and others remained during the winter, and 

 proceeded to the sea in the early spring. 



For the purpose of determining certain questions connect- 

 ed with the rate of growth and the periodicity of return of 

 these fish, Mr. Atkins took the trouble to affix to each, before 

 liberating it, a tag of silver or platinum, upon which was 

 impressed a distinctive number. The tags were oval, and 

 about half an inch in length, attached in some cases to a band 

 encircling the tail, and in others by a wire to the large back 

 fin. A list was made indicating the weight and date of each 

 fish ; and Mr. Atkins has issued a circular, under date of April 

 22, asking that any salmon taken during the present season 

 with one of these tasrs attached be sent to him for examina- 

 tion. He ofl:ers the market value, according to the weight, 

 for each fish, and a bonus of $3 on their being sent to Bucks- 

 port. It is much to be hoped that fishermen and others who 

 may come into possession of these fish may not fail to com- 

 ply with Mr. Atkins' request, as the questions to be answer- 

 ed by the comparison of their condition with that of the last 

 year are of the utmost practical importance. 



TEAXSPORTIXG SALMON EGGS TO NEW ZEALAND. 



A renewed efibrt has lately been made in the direction of 

 stocking the Australasian waters with salmon. The experi- 

 ment of transporting eggs of salmon and trout into those 

 waters has been repeatedly made, and, as far as the latter 

 species is concerned, with distinguished success, this fish be- 

 ing now caught in large numbers and of great weight. There 

 is, however, no positive evidence of the existence of the sal- 

 mon in the rivers, although large fishes have repeatedly been 

 seen, which could scarcely be any thing else; but none have 

 been actually captured. 



Special arrangements were made during January, 1873, to 

 transport about 80,000 salmon eggs on the vessel Oberon, 

 bound from London to Australia. In view of the necessary 

 length of the journey, and of the fact that the temperature 

 must, for a great portion of the way, be that of summer, the 

 only possibility of success lay in retarding the development 

 of the eggs by means of an abundant supply of ice. For this 

 purpose a small house was built, the internal dimensions of 



