192 FISH HATCHING. 



The district of Loughs Mask and Corrib 

 comprise an area of thirty miles long by 

 ten wide, containing 25,000 acres of water, 

 and receive the waters of some of the finest 

 tributaries known for the purpose of propa- 

 gation. These loughs and tributaries lie to 

 the north of the Corrib, between Joyce's 

 country, in Connemara, and Ballyhaunis, 

 County Mayo ; and what is very singular, 

 that while these lakes discharge their 

 contents into Lough Corrib, and the Corrib 

 has an abundance of prime salmon ; strange 

 to say, not a single one has ever been found 

 in these upper lakes. Owing to a natural 

 barrier of rocks extending between the two 

 lakes, an obstruction has been put to the 

 progress of the fish, and although a pass has 

 been recently constructed there to facilitate 



