74 LIFE AND HISTORY OF A SALMON. 



to the labours of two humble fishermen, Gehin and 

 Kemy, who, by the same method practised by Jacobi, 

 and more recently by Mr Shaw, had succeeded in 

 stocking the tributaries of the Moselle with millions of 

 trout ; the ova, in some instances, having been trans- 

 ferred from distant rivers celebrated for their superior 

 breed of fish. 



Such results attracted the notice both of the capital- 

 ists and the lovers of natural history in this country. 

 Messrs Edmund and Thomas Ashworth have, by means 

 of artificial fecundation, reared millions of young 

 salmon near Lough Comb, in Ireland. Their opera- 

 tions trenching on the supposed rights of the squireens, 

 we were sorry to be lately informed that these small 

 gentry had intimated that, unless bought off, they were 

 resolved to hinder the further prosecution of the experi- 

 ment ! 



In the autumn of 1853, at the suggestion of Dr 

 Esdaile, the proprietors of the salmon-fisheries on the 

 Tay laid down 1000 lineal yards of breeding-troughs, 

 calculated to contain a million of salmon ova. Owing 

 to the lateness in beginning operations, the boxes were 

 only partly filled, and in May 1855 the breeding-pond 

 was estimated to contain about 300,000 salmon-fry. 

 We have already alluded to the debate as to the time 

 of their dismissal from the pond. We have now to speak 

 of the commercial aspect of the question, and to describe 

 a perplexing anomaly in the history of these little fish. 



Of those marked we have undeniable proof that 22 

 were captured as grilses, weighing from 5 up to 9J Ib. 

 The fish of the last-mentioned weight was taken on 

 31st July, having left the pond on 29th May, weighing 

 in all probability not more than a single ounce. It has 

 thus been demonstrated that salmon fit for the market 

 can be artificially reared within 20 months after the 

 deposition of the ova. Of the salmon-fry first reared at 

 Stormontfield, it was estimated that 2000 have been taken 

 as grilses, and that, valuing them at 3s. 6d each, their 



