63 



for unfecundated eggs, and then the ultimate loss by all 

 causes, from the deposition in the ponds to this time, will be 

 rather more than 80 per cent., that is to say that nearly one- 

 fifth part of the ova deposited (excluding unfecundated eggs) 

 have been safely hatched out. 



And here I should have concluded my report if the anony- 

 mous letter referred to had not been followed in the Australasian 

 of the 30th June last by an editorial article, the writer of 

 which suggests that the Council of the Victorian Acclimatisa- 

 tion Society should insist upon knowing who is really respon- 

 sible for the absurd exaggerations which were put forward 

 on this subject when the ova first arrived in Tasmania. And 

 he finishes the article by a statement that the public are 

 naturally and justifiably disgusted at the lame and impotent 

 conclusion actually attained. 



It is perhaps impossible for the editor of a large newspaper 

 to read and consider everything inserted in it, and this may 

 account for my finding in the Australasian of the 23rd June 

 (the week before the editorial article made its appearance) an 

 excellent paper on fish breeding establishments, extracted from 

 the Intellectual Observer, which must have escaped the notice of 

 the editor. In that paper the following apt paragraph occurs in 

 reference to the establishment at Huningen, which establish- 

 ment, be it remembered, is held up as a bright example to all 

 the world: — 



" They reckon that out of the fructified roe at least 15 per 

 cent, is utterly worthless, but of that which comes well to 

 hand 25 to 30 per cent, of fresh young fish can be calculated 

 on." 



With that paragraph before him — if he ever read it — I 

 wonder it never occurred to the writer of the editorial article 

 that the statements as to the numbers of our apparently 

 healthy ova might possibly have been made simply because 

 they were true. If we analyse the last-mentioned figures for 

 one moment what do we find ? That out of the ova deposited 

 excluding unfecundated or worthless eggs, they lose at 

 Huningen from 70 to 75 per cent., our loss being slightly over 

 80 per cent. ; in other words, they, with all their advantages, 

 hatch out rather more than one-fourth, while we, with all our 

 disadvantages, have safely hatched out nearly one-fifth. A 

 marvellous discrepancy truly, but all in our favor, and one 

 which must convince every thinking man that our estimate 

 must have been under, rather than over, the actual number. 



When our brown trout ova were hatched two years ago, the 

 Commissioners estimated their number at 120. Months after- 

 wards when they were removed and counted, the number 

 proved to be 280, some were liberated, and from one we have 



