428 Transactions of the Canadian Institute. [Vol. VII. 



In the Fish Commissioner's report for 1872-3 and 1873-4, vol. I., 

 we meet with another confident statement, but no proof. Mr. Watson, 

 in an article on " The Salmon of Lake Champlain and its Tributaries " 

 (page 536), says: "The sawdust stained and polluted the water, and the 

 sediment and debris of the mills settled largely on the gravelly bottoms, 

 which had been so alluring to the salmon, changed their character, and 

 revolted the cleanly habits of the fish." 



Four years after this the Commissioner inserts in his report (1878} 

 a translation of an article by Professor Rasch, of Norway, on "The 

 Propagation of Food Fishes " : " That the rivers on which there is con- 

 siderable cutting of timber gradually become more and more destitute 

 of salmon is an undeniable fact; but while it is asserted that the saw- 

 dust introduced into the river from the saw mills causes the salmon 

 coming from the sea either to forsake the foster stream because of 

 meeting the sawdust, to seek another river not polluted, or else when 

 the fish attempts to pass through the areas quite filled with sawdust then 

 this by fixing itself in the gill openings, or between the gills causes its 

 death, yet later experience seems to entitle us to the assumption that 

 sawdust neither causes the salmon to forsake its native stream, nor pro- 

 duces any great mortality among the ascending fishes. The hurtfulness 

 of the sawdust to the reproduction of the salmon is not so direct, but 

 is exceedingly great in this, that it partly limits and partly destroys the 

 spawning grounds of the river." 



In his report for 1879, the Commissioner gives a translation from 

 another Norse writer, W. Landmark, on " The Propagation of Food 

 Fishes." This scientist mentions four objections to sawdust : — 



1. "Sawdust gradually sinks to the bottom, and thus fills the very 

 place where the fish eggs are to develop, with impure and injurious 

 matter." 



2. " When eggs are brought into contact with sawdust or any other 

 rotting wooden matter for any length of time, the eggs are overgrown 

 with a species of fungus, which invariably kills the germ." 



3. " When the water rises and causes the masses of sawdust which 

 have gathered in the river to move, a large number of young fish are 

 carried away with it, and are gradually buried in the newly-formed 

 piles of sawdust." In a foot-note he says : " It has been said that saw- 

 dust will drive the salmon entirely away from a river, but I think that 



