STORMONTFIELD EXPERIMENT. 73 



ova. During a flood in the lade which 

 the filtering pond with water, they 

 t,o escape inl.o the lade, which wan 

 much to be regretted We shall have occasion to 

 jv i k after-wards of one of those in our possession. 

 The spring of 1858 was one of the most 

 backward experienced for many years, and the 

 fry in the pond were late of becoming smoults. 

 On the 8th of May we marked 25 with the 

 silver ring behind the dead fin, and about 50 

 with gilt copper wire; but the mark this season 

 was cutting off the dead fin entirely, which fin 

 has hecn proved docs not grow a^ain, hence no 

 other mark could be depended upon. The 

 smoults this year were larger and finer grown 

 than on any previous occasion specimens may 

 be seen of them in the superintendent's office, 

 and also in the museum of the Literary and 

 Antiquarian Society of Perth. The silver rings 

 are no doubt an attraction to the enemies of the 

 fry; for in this instance, when the marking sluice 

 was opened, and the fish allowed to escape into 

 the river, a pike or large trout gave a plunge, 

 and the keeper exclaimed, "There goes one of 

 our smoults/' We dulled the rings after this, 

 but we have no doubt that a small fish carrying 



