3% SPECIES OF THE SALMON. 



said, as far as I can collect, of a negative tenden- 

 cy, to show that they are not. I have not the least 

 interest either one way or the other, but as a pri- 

 vate member of the community ; my object is solely 

 to find out the truth, if I can, that justice may be 

 done to this subject. 



But before this enquiry is entered upon, it will 

 be necessary to make a very few prefatory gene- 

 ral observations on the species of animals. The 

 only difference of animals in nature is species : by 

 this word I mean, without giving a specific defini- 

 tion, animals of a particular kind that congregate 

 and breed together ; and in a state of nature, free 

 from constraint, never amicably intermix with ani- 

 mals -of a different kind; but under that con- 

 straint, if they do mix and produce with other 

 animals of a very similar conformation, that such 

 produce being male, are sterile and never repro- 

 duce. Without this law there would be universal 

 confusion. Naturalists, according to their differ- 

 ent ideas, and for the conveniency of study, have 

 classed certain animals which have certain general 

 characters in common into genera ; but in certain 

 other animals of the same species there are va- 

 rieties, such as the dog and the pigeon, and this oc- 

 curs even in the vegetable world. Whether these va- 

 rieties are natural and original, or whether they are 

 the effect of accident or other causes, has nothing 

 to do with the present question. Thus then, when 

 authors speak of, I think, twenty-nine species of sal- 



Ct^L^ 



