EXPLANATORY LETTER FROM MR. YOUNG. 161 



question.* If I were to answer it for him, I 

 should say, it was because he did not consider his 

 pamphlet coj)ious enough ; that it lacked detail 

 and arrangement ; that it contained extraneous 



* "Invershin, Jan. 14. 1850. 



" My dear Sir, 



" I have received yours of the 8th instant. [A note of 

 mine requesting Mr. Young to state why he thought a new- 

 natural history of Salmon still necessary.] 



" The reason why we consider it necessary to write the 

 Natural History of the Salmon is exactly, because it has 

 never been fully given to the public, although JNlr. Shaw 

 and I have written several pamphlets on the subject. They 

 were written, at least mine, for the purpose of preparing 

 the public for a much fuller account of the history and 

 habits of Salmon than they contained. I consider we are 

 now endeavouring to give that fuller account to the public, 

 and I hope it will prove worthy of their perusal. As we 

 could not give it without the knowledge derived from fre- 

 quent experiments made for several successive years, we 

 have spared neither time, pains, nor labour in making them, 

 and we show ourselves now most willing to communicate to 

 all who take an interest in the matter, the secrets we have 

 fished out from the depths of the sea, and the pools and 

 rapids of rivers. That is our sole design in writing the 

 present history, and I, having fallen in with ' Ephemera,' 



whose considered that Je/wee/i ?w we should be able 



to give to the public the fuller information still so much 

 required on the subject. 



" I am, my dear Sir, 



" Yours truly, 



"A. Young." 



" To Ephemera, &c." 



M 



