104 NATUEAL HISTORY OF THE SALMON. 



want of water, they get gravid, and must deposit 

 their spawn on the first ford that presents itself; 

 hence we have witnessed at Perth Bridge where 

 the tide rises at spring tides eight or ten feet as 

 many as fifty fish spawning at the same time. 

 When this occurs which it does every dry 

 season when the fish are unable to ascend arti- 

 ficial rearing would save millions of fish. Or, 

 when the season has been wet, and the fish have 

 been tempted by the height of the flood to de- 

 posit their spawn in places of the river which are 

 left dry when it falls in, millions of ova can be 

 gathered up and reared artificially which would 

 otherwise be lost. The French Government, 

 under the superintendence of M. Coste, has 

 taken up the subject of pisciculture in earnest, 

 and, as is well known, great success has attended 

 its labours, and we yet hope to see artificial pro- 

 pagation more appreciated, and more extensively 

 carried out in our own country; but we are afraid 

 this will not take place until there is a still 

 greater falling off in the returns of fish from 

 our Scottish rivers, when a greatly diminished 

 rental will make our salmon proprietors converts 

 to artificial propagation, 



