Chaft. xxi. 278 



referring to their known courses, have a clue to where that spawn 

 was carried; and be in a better position to trace out why the 

 mature fish Bought certain portions of certain sea rivers wherein to 

 spawn at certain times, where the fry are hatched and reared, 

 and by what counter currents, and wherefore, they return. 

 Mackerel) herring, and pilchards are usually in spawn when caught 

 in England ; it was, therefore, thought that they sought our shores 

 for the purpose of spawning. But as it has been concluded that 

 the ova of all these fish float, I beiieve the shore itself has no 

 connection whatever with their spawning, except in so far as the 

 land affects the sea currents ; and my impression is, that it is the 

 character of the sea current or sea river that must be looked to for 

 an explanation of their wanderings. Taking this clue, it would 

 seem feasible, after sufficient research, to map out the journeying 

 of a mackerel or a herring, as particularly as that of a salmon. If 

 there were not salt-water rivers in the sea with well defined courses 

 and banks, how could fish know their way about it. They would 

 be liable, one would think, to lose themselves in the trackless vast 

 expanse, instead of coming hack year after year with punctuality 

 to certain shores at certain seasons. There are reasons for 

 concluding that a salmon knows his way about his own particular 

 river, knows every snag, and stone, and "pool, and run, in it from 

 mouth to source, just as well as an old fox knows his own beat. 

 And I can readily believe that a herring knows his way about his 

 sea rivers just as well, and has a regular round which he goes every 

 of his life. The thing is for us to ascertain it and make use 

 of it. both for ashing and piscicultural purposes. 



In the hope that this book will fall into the hands of some few 

 who are not only fishermen, but naturalists also and pisciculturists, 

 1 take the opportunity of repeating an idea thrown out by me in 

 18G8, but which, from being in an official report, never got any 

 further than the Government shelves, and the few newspaper 

 columns in which it was reprinted; and I repeat the idea in the 

 hope that it may be worked out, and brought if possible to some 

 practical use, not only in India, but also in Australia, Burundi, 

 and the warmer parts of China and America, in short, in any 

 tropical clime in which there is more of sun than ice. I emote, 

 therefore, from my own report: " Long before the commencement 

 "of pisciculture as a -deuce. Aristotle, ami subsequently Mr. 



THE KOI) IN IMHA. X 



