XX1U 



t( All fish should be legally caught say, about April." 

 " Kelts should be taken by rod after 15th May." 

 " After March all kippers and baggits coming up Tweed 

 " should be taken." 



8. Birds. 



A curious suggestion will be observed in the evidence, namely, 

 that the infection might have been earned from river to river by 

 birds. It has been observed that the rivers mostly affected by the 

 salmon disease are near each other at the points where they rise, 

 and the idea seems to be that the sporules of the disease might 

 have been carried from one watershed to the other by birds. 



Thus, at Carlisle it was suggested that predaceous birds might 

 have carried the disease. A bird feeding on diseased fish might 

 get his claws entangled in the disease and carry it from river 

 to river. 



At Melrose : " The disease may possibly but not probably have 

 " been carried from water to water. 



" The seeds might be carried by birds ; ducks in the spring 

 " wading among the fungus might carry it away. It is no 



objection that the birds have carried it to certain rivers only. 



It is possible that the disease being stimulated in one place 



might be carried to others by birds." 



I am of opinion j that even though we admit the occasional 

 dissemination of the seeds of plants or even the germs of animal 

 life by birds, yet the great diffusion of the salmon disease cannot 

 be attributable to the agency of birds. 



(( 

 (( 



The Curative Effect of Salt. 



With reference to the alleged case of Saprolegnia ferax 

 occurring in salt water, referred to at page xii of this Report, I 

 beg to add the following remarks on the effect of salt as a curative 

 agent in cases of salmon disease : — 



That salt has a direct curative effect upon the fungus which 

 causes the salmon disease I have no doubt whatever. 



For many years past I have been in the habit of treating my 

 fish, such as young salmon, full-grown trout, adult American salmo 

 fontinalis, &c. affected with fungus, with salt water, and, if the 

 disease has not gone too far, a cure has generally been effected. 



Mr. Carrington, of the Aquarium, "Westminster, tells me that he 

 received a pike from the Duke of Edinburgh, which, after a while, 

 became fungousy : the fish was well douched with a stream of salt 

 water, and the fungus disappeared. Whenever the fungus has 

 re-appeared on the pike, which it has three or four times, a bath 

 of salt water caused it to clisaj>pear. 



It is clear, therefore, why it is so desirable to get the salmon kelts 

 down to the salt water of the ocean as quickly as possible, for not 

 only will the disease itself be destroyed, but also the general health 

 of the fish will immediately begin to recover, and thus throw off 

 the remains of any fungus, and the prejudicial effect of the disease 

 from which it has been suffering. With this view of the matter my 



