LAC EMMURAILLE 



number of a hundred and fifty-two, made a 

 longer and more uncomfortable journey 

 from the Murray River to the lower lake — 

 then supposed to be absolutely fishless — in 

 1909. (The experiment was wholly of 

 Michel's designing, and he carried it 

 through single-handed.) They were the 

 trout characteristic of the rapids of that 

 river, underfed and lean, running about six 

 to the pound, dark in colour, white- or 

 yellow- fleshed, brilliantly spotted, reck- 

 lessly greedy, but without the stamina of 

 well-conditioned fish. In his original en- 

 vironment it may be that each of them had 

 as much chance of prospering and growing 

 great as a farmer has of becoming a mil- 

 lionaire, or a private soldier a general. The 

 struggle for a bare existence was fierce and 

 continual; larger trout menaced them if 

 they dared to invade deeper waters. In 

 the present state of knowledge, their age — 

 two, ten or fifty years — seems to be a matter 

 of guess-work. Plainly they were victims 

 of the Malthusian law that population 

 tends to increase beyond the means of sub- 

 sistence. Translation to a new state bet- 

 tered things marvellously for them; 

 although, to their surprise and ours, it 

 turned out that they had to dispute pos- 

 85 



