COMMISSIONERS OF INLAND FISHERIES. 15 



but luckily rather rare, is the otter. According to my understanding 

 of its habits, this animal seldom leaves a pond or stream until it has 

 nearly exhausted the supply of fish. It then migrates to more favor- 

 able feeding grounds. Up to a few years ago, Mr. Reynolds Lilli- 

 bridge, of Exeter, spent considerable time trapping this animal, and 

 was successful in capturing several each season. 



Another menace to the small trout is the large trout. Especially 

 is this true in dry seasons, for if the streams do not yield other supplies 

 of food and small trout are forced by the droughts into the large 

 ponds where the large trout lurk, they do not hestitatc to become 

 cannibals, and prey upon their own kind. Furthermore, the dangers 

 which attend a single dry season are bad enough, but if followed by 

 two or three ordinary years the trout are given some chance, but 

 when, as at present, for six consecutive years the rain-fall has been 

 unusually small, is there any wonder that the supply of trout has 

 decreased? 



I have dealt purposely with the small trout in the foregoing state- 

 ments and have spoken of them as planted fish. Of course the wild 

 trout, which are hatched naturally in a brook, help some, but I 

 claim that, had it not been for stocking by your Commission, there 

 would not be a single trout in the majority of our streams. The 

 trout placed in the brooks by the Commission are especially fitted to 

 survive the above adverse conditions. In the first place they are 

 yearling trout, and are as large as three or four year old wild trout. 

 One of the planted trout, if fortunate enough to survive one season, 

 will produce as many fry as a wild trout that has survived the dangers 

 of three or four years. Furthermore, the larger the trout are the 

 less danger there is for them, because they can safely take refuge in 

 ponds during the dry season, and from their larger size, other fish do 

 not harm them. They are, however, looked after by the fishermen 

 who know how to catch them, and it is indeed remarkable that so 

 many large or at least fair-sized trout are caught each year. 



But for fear the above should be too pessimistic, I hasten to add 

 that I think the conditions are bound to improve. It does not seem 



