OUR INLAND FISHERIES. 27 



Here fish of all kinds hunt and destroy it, and even 

 when full grown it is the prey of the grampus and 

 the seal ; but these dangers from aquatic animals are 

 comparatively few, for it soon becomes swift and 

 powerful, and to a certain extent is able to take 

 care of itself. In spite, however, of all this destruc- 

 tion, such is the amazing fecundity of the salmon, 

 that were it not for the machinations of man — 



* 



his worst enemy — sufficient of the species would 

 still remain to fill our rivers almost to teeming. 



The most dangerous and helpless part of the sal- 

 mon's existence, therefore, occurs while in the ova 

 state and until arrived at the smolt state. Fortu- 

 nately here man has the power to protect it from 

 most of the perils it endures when left to itself in 

 the river, and at this particular point artificial pro- 

 pagation is a most valuable assistant. 



In this country we have as yet had but few 

 attempts made upon anything like an extended scale 

 to put into practice the art of pisciculture. Perhaps 

 those best known and of most importance have been 

 carried out at Stormontfield, on the Tay ; at Messrs. 

 Ashworth's fishery on the Galway river, in both of 

 which improvement of the fisheries was the object ; 

 at Mr. Cooper's fishery at Markree, near Sligo — here 

 a fishery was altogether created ; and on the Clyde, 



