212 Dr. Mac Culloch on the changing 



island of Lismore, and without the power of leaving it or reaching the 

 sea. There, it has been known for a long course of years, perfectly 

 reconciled to its prison, and propagating without any apparent dif- 

 ficulty. If this fish, whose annual necessity for returning to the 

 sea is the same as that of the common salmon, has thus easily be- 

 come naturalized, there is little reason to doubt that the same expe- 

 riment would succeed with the salmon itself. The fishermen ob- 

 ject to that opinion, that this fish becomes meagre and diseased by 

 its residence in fresh waters, and is compelled to go to the sea to re- 

 cover itself. But we need not feel much concern respecting their 

 philosophy; while they forget at the same time that it is the opera- 

 tion of spawning by which the fish is injured, and that this conse- 

 quence happens alike to sea-fish, from the same causes. It remains 

 to be proved that the salmon would not recover itself in fresh- 

 waters, as the sea trout does in Lismore ; and this is the experi- 

 ment which is to be tried before we are entitled to pronounce a ne- 

 gative. To render the salmon a permanent resident of the fresh- 

 water lakes of Scotland, would unquestionably be a great gain ; and 

 that this has not been tried, often as it has been urged on those who 

 have the means, is only an additional proof of the plodding incredu- 

 lity and obstinacy of those who are averse to all innovation because 

 it is innovation, and who believe that they have themselves attained 

 the summit of all possible knowledge. 



With respect to the smelt, its delicacy would render it a very de- 

 sirable acquisition in our ponds, while its size would probably 

 cause it to find an easy supply of food, and its facility of living for 

 a time in fresh water render its naturalization easy. I accordingly 

 caused some trials to be made for this purpose: they did not how- 

 ever succeed, but the experimenter considered that they were not 

 fairly conducted, as the fish had been injured in the transportation. 

 It is obvious that in every trial of this nature great attention to this 

 part of the operation must be requisite. 



Since this, a perfect experiment to this effect has been made by 

 Colonel Meynell, in Yorkshire. The fish have lived three years, 

 and it is understood that they have propagated abundantly. They 

 were not affected by freezing, as the whole pond, which contained 



