APPENDIX. 177 



sands, should decline ; while terrestrial animals, 

 which are subjugated to our use, increase and mul- 

 tiply, though endued with far inferior powers of 

 fecundity. — We must, however, adhere strictly to 

 our subject, and will here sum up our observations 

 with a few general remarks relative to the question 

 immediately before us — the propagation of salmon 

 by assistance from art, and the consequent improve- 

 ment of the salmon-fisheries. 



In the first place, we should say these processes 

 may be availed of to stock our larger rivers, with- 

 out perceptibly interfering with the ordinary opera- 

 tions of the salmon themselves, in either the river 

 or its tributaries ; in other words, both methods, the 

 natural and the artificial, may go on simultaneously. 

 The artificial process will undoubtedly be a useful 

 auxiliary, and in small rivers (where it is so difficult 

 to protect spawning salmon), may almost supersede 

 the fruitless efforts of the fish to deposit its spawn 

 in the natural way. We may assume that ten or 

 twenty pair of salmon in a secure and well-protected 

 artificial stream will produce a larger quantity of fry 

 than a much greater number of salmon could possi- 

 bly do in the river at large, where they are exposed 

 to so many casualties, which casualties are prevented 

 or neutralized when we place the spawn in security 

 in boxes, or else enable the salmon themselves to 

 deposit it in artificial beds carefully provided for 

 them. 



Another useful purpose to which this process can 



I 2 



