PAIRING OF SALMON. . 65 



nig season, whether male or female. If they are 

 polygamous the effect is the same, unless, as is the 

 practice among gamekeepers with pheasants, it be 

 thought necessary to kill a certain number of 

 the males annually. 



Another important fact arising out of this in- 

 quiry, is, that the female is a very considerable 

 time in depositing her roe, during which she is ex- 

 posed to the spearer, and therefore these spearers 

 should be strictly watched, and severely punished 

 when detected in the practice. 



Should any one pronounce this a trifling subject, 

 and complain that more has been said about it 

 than there was any occasion for, which I dare say 

 many ignorant and some malignant people will not 

 fail to do, I answer, " that whatever God has 

 "judged worthy of himself to create, is not below 

 " us to examine and consider ; the same hand 

 " that formed the whale, the elephant, and the 

 " lion, has likewise made the louse, the gnat, 

 " and the flea. Innocently to amuse the imagi- 

 " nation in this dream of life, is wisdom ; and 

 " nothing is useless that, by furnishing mental em- 

 " ployment, keeps us for a while in oblivion of 

 " those stronger appetites that lead to evil. ,, 



I now quit the elementary part of this subject 

 for another, and I wish that in doing it I could use 

 the apostrophe of Junius to Lord Camden ; but 

 that cannot be, for in truth the change is only 

 travelling from one "barren waste" to another. 

 However, he that is whole needs not a physician, 



F 



