CULTURE OF THE SALMON. 125 



river is the channel through which Loughs Mask and 

 Corrib, two enormous lakes containing a vast area of water, 

 discharge themselves into the sea. The fishery of this 

 river belongs to Mr. Ashworth. In 1852, finding the 

 stock had been terribly reduced from a variety of causes, 

 he established a breeding-place at Outerard, in a small 

 tributary stream. Here twenty boxes were laid down, after 

 the same fashion as the plan, already explained, adopted at 

 Stormontfield. This plan, carried out by Mr. Ramsbottom, 

 was the model whence Stormontfield was taken. These 

 boxes were stocked with about 40,000 ova, which in due 

 time came to perfection. Subsequently, owing partly to 

 the opening of a wide Queen's-gap in the weir, Mr. Ash- 

 worth's fishery multiplied itself in value manifold, and 

 he cast about, adding a still larger area to the field of his 

 operations. 



" Lough Mask, which discharges into Lough Corrib, is 

 separated from it by a very rugged channel, and a lofty, 

 impassable fall; consequently, although Lough Corrib 

 abounded in salmon, none had ever been seen in Lough 

 Mask. Moreover, the many gravelly tributaries which 

 salmon love to spawn in, rather discharged themselves into 

 the upper part of Lough Mask, which again receives the 

 waters of one or two smaller lakes, than into Lough Corrib; 

 and as the capabilities of production of a fishery are 

 bounded by the area of its spawning-beds, this proved a 

 serious check to the further increase of productiveness in 

 the fishery. Undaunted by difficulties, however, Mr. Ash- 

 worth set to work, ameliorated the stream, put salmon- 

 11* 



