260 PROCEEDINGS OF THE 



over many branches of natural history, mammalian, ornithological, 

 icthyological, reptilian, entomological, palaeontological and botanical, 

 and shew the wideness of the field over which our members are at 

 work. 



I may now be allowed to indicate what may be admitted as part 

 of our legitimate future work, restricting, however, my remarks to 

 one branch of the vertebrates which appears to me to be that 

 most deserving of attention, and, at the same time, the least 

 attended to. 



I think there can be little donbt amongst naturalists that of all 

 the divisions of the vertebrata, Fish are at present the most deserv- 

 ing of special study. A much larger field is here opened to 

 scientific workers, and also to field naturalists, than in any other 

 division of the animal kingdom, while, perhaps, less is known 

 about fish, even of our fresh-water species, than about the members 

 of any other group. 



I have myself paid some attention to our Salmonidae, more 

 especially during the past two seasons, and have realized what an 

 immense field remains fallow and unworked. Vast strides, it is 

 true, have been made in our knowledge of the salmon and common 

 trout, and many other species, both from an economical and from a 

 scientific standpoint ; witness the successful labours of Sir J. G. 

 Maitland at the Howietoun Fisheries, and those of other breeding 

 establishments, and the scientific work of Dr. Francis Day, Dr. 

 Giinther, and others. Witness, also, the importance attached 

 now-a-days to exhibitions illustrative of everything connected with 

 fish and fisheries ; such as the Norfolk and the Edinburgh Exhi- 

 bitions have been, and the Great International Fisheries Exhibition 

 of London will be in 1883. 



I have a hope, therefore, that what I am about to lay before you 

 may sufficiently interest some of our members so as to set them 

 thinking and working, both in the field and in the study, to do 

 something in this fertile field of enquiry and to keep moving 

 with the times. Although I had some idea of many of the 

 questions respecting fish and fisheries still awaiting solution, 

 yet I have not trusted myself to speak as one having authority, 

 and I therefore asked my friend, Dr. Francis Day, of Chelten- 

 ham, to roughly sketch out the more salient points. The 

 following notes are therefore mainly his ; and the thanks of our 

 members are due to him for the hints which, I trust, will prove 



