108 DUBLIN NATUEAL HISTOBY SOCIETY. 



was sure that plenty of natural food would be found there for them, brought in 

 by the tide. In fact, as he had been so successful in the growth of the young 

 fry in the fresh water, he fully anticipated their more complete development in 

 the salt water, and that he would be able at the end of the season to produce 

 salmon of many pounds in weight ; and he saw no reason why such enclosures 

 might not be generally practised, and that the estuaries and inlets of our coasts 

 might be conrerted into fish-parks as naturally as enclosures are formed into 

 deer-parks. 



Mr. Andrews, as one of the Honorary Secretaries, said, that he considered it 

 due from him to thank Mr. Ffennell for the kind manner in which he came for- 

 ward to give this statement, particularly as his time had been so occupied by his 

 public duties. He had followed Mr. Ffennell throughout, and saw, step by step, 

 how important were such operations, and how valuable the results, to the extent 

 at present witnessed. He considered that Mr. Ffennell deserved the highest cre- 

 dit for so perseveringly carrying on those experiments, and which may proba- 

 bly result in great public benefit. The re-stocking of our rivers with valuable 

 fish by artificial means, must, for food, and in a commercial point of view, be 

 enormously beneficial. That excellent philosopher, the late Sir Humphrey 

 Davy, who was a good, practical fisherman, suggested the practicability of con- 

 veying the ova of the more valuable kinds of fish of the Continental lakes and 

 rivers, and propagating them in the barren waters of other countries. The dif- 

 ficulty of transporting the impregnated ova in a healthy state to remote dis- 

 tances is now comparatively trifling. To keep the water in the tanks of as cool 

 and even a temperature as possible, and the water pure by the growth of aqua- 

 tic plants, particularly the Charae, are all that seem necessary for the safe pre- 

 servation of the ova. In about ninety days the young will be liberated from the 

 capsule, and for at least thirty days more the fry will be independent of nou- 

 rishment, until the vitelline-sac is absorbed. Thus, in the present days of quick 

 transit, the ova could be transported to our remotest colonies in that state, re- 

 quiring but little attention before the time of reaching their destination. The 

 temperature of the water more or less influenced the earlier or the later deve- 

 lopement of the ova. The ova deposited in the beds of some rivers did not pro- 

 duce the fry for a hundred and twenty to a hundred and thirty days. Mr. Samuel 

 Gurney, Jun.jOf Carshalton, had successfully impregnated and distributed the ova 

 of the fine trout of the River Wandle, and had also introduced the trout of other 

 rivers of England to the "Wandle. He had successfully sent the ova to New Zea- 

 land ; and the trout of the Wandle were now flourishing in the rivers of that 

 country. Valuable experiments in science might be worked out by the enclosure 

 (where practicable) of a salt water inlet at the mouth of a river in which the 

 ova would be propagated, and allowing the fry, according to their instinct, to 

 take their course to the salt water. Mr. Andrews did not clearly understand 

 Mr. Ffennell as to the habits of the salmon on the spawning beds, nor did he 

 concur in such views. Our northern and eastern rivers appeared to produce 

 earlier fish than our western rivers. Much depended on the temperature of the 

 waters ; and those rivers connected with extensive lakes have a much higher 

 temperature than alpine rivers. Mr. Andrews did not think that the periods of 

 spawning were the same in all rivers ; there were early periods as well as late 

 periods of spawning, and clean fish are earlier in some rivers, and of a later run 

 in others. In some rivers in Wales and in Scotland salmon are in prime mar- 

 ketable condition very early in the season, and the greater part of the year, 

 such as the Usk in Wales, and the Kirkaig in Scotland. Mr. Andrews noticed, 

 as instances in Ireland, the River Caragh in Kerry, where, years since, he had 

 seen the salmon in abundance and in the primest condition, in the month of Ja- 

 nuary. In the Slaney, which he had often fished, he had seen salmon in prime 

 condition in October. The River Bandon, he had heard, was a late spawning 

 river, and that the salmon were in good condition later in the season. He could 

 notice many similar cases in the western rivers relative to the habits of the sal- 



