Italy. 285 



lagoons for spawning purposes, and more especially the young fry who enter from the sea in 

 search of food, are thus protected, divided, and at the right time captured. The system of 

 division and subdivision in the valli, especially in the inland ones, is very complicated, and 

 as this industry is most important and of quite a peculiar nature, I am sorry for want of 

 space to be prevented from giving further details. The valli are classed into valli arginate, 

 valli arginate in parte, viz., partially closed by reed-palisades (grisiole'), and valli chiuse, or 

 completely closed by grisiole ; locks or cMaviche regulate the communications and the water 

 supply. The natural entry of fish-fry from the sea into the lagoons goes by the name of 

 montata, and the more important montate take place from February to May (Mugil capita, 

 M. auratus, M. chelo, Ldbrax lupus, Chrysophrys aurata and Anguilla vulgaris), and in August 

 and September (Mugil ceplialus, M. saliens, Mullus.) A peculiar feature in this industry is 

 the so-called " Semina del pesce novello," literally " sowing of young fish." It consists in 

 capturing in fine nets along the coast or in the external lagoons the young fry of the species 

 above mentioned, and in carrying it to the inner waters or closed valli, that it may grow and 

 be fished at the proper time. The utility and expediency of such proceedings has been for 

 the last two centuries an object of discussion amongst the Vallicultori, some of whom up to 

 the present day opine that the natural montata and its facilitation is the true system of valli- 

 culture. To give an idea of the value of the present lagoon-fishery and pisciculture, we may 

 add the statement of Count Ninni, who in 1881 writes that in the northern lagoons alone 

 (between Porto Fossone, Adige, and the mouth of the Isonzo) 600 boats and 25,000 fishermen 

 are employed in this industry ; and he adds that these data are rather below the true number 

 for both. Quite a series of boats, nets and implements of various kinds are used in Vallicol- 

 tura, and the men therein employed have each their special task. 2. Fish-culture in Fresh- 

 waters. I include under this term the artificial propagation and introduction of important 

 food-fishes ; in this line little indeed has as yet been done in Italy. The first attempts were 

 made in 1859, in the small lakes of Trana and Avigliana in Piedmont, by Professor F. de 

 Filippi and Sir James Hudson, then British ambassador at Turin : eggs of lake-trout, Salvelin, 

 and Salmon from Hiiningen were introduced, and the following year to these were added 

 those of Coregonus from Lakes Bourget and of Geneva; unfortunately, on account of the 

 absence of Prof, de Filippi, first in Persia, and then in a voyage round the world, during 

 which he died, the work was discontinued before any results could be obtained. In 1801 

 de Filippi went to Lake Constance, on purpose to fecundate eggs of Coregonus lavaretus; 

 600,000 of these were thrown into Lake Como at Colico, and about a million in Lake 

 Maggiore, some being incubated at Avigliana, others at Baveno, with Coste's system. 

 Again, in 1862, Government acquired 70,000 fecundated eggs of the Salvelin from Kufier 

 (Saltzburg) ; 25,000 were kept at Avigliana, 40,000 deposited at Baveno to be placed in Lake 

 Mergozzo, and 5000 destined for Lake Montorfano (Como). As I said above, these operations 

 so well begun were unfortunately not continued. However in April, 1881, a Coregonus of 

 large size was caught in Lake Maggiore, evidently one of those introduced from Lake 

 Constance. In 1861, at Venaria Reale, H.M. King Victor Emanuel, initiated a small 

 fish-cultural establishment, now obsolete. In 1864-65, Dr. P. Carganico made a similar 

 attempt for trout at Como. In 1871 Dr. Eevelli founded a piscicultural establishment for 

 trout and salmon at Savigliano; this succeeded in part, but eventually failed simply for 

 want of pecuniary support in 1879. An attempt of a similar nature, on a larger scale, was 

 made at Isola della Gaiola near Naples, by a Signer De Negri ; this also failed through 

 want of money. In 1878 Messrs. Turri and French commenced the artificial propagation of 

 trout in one of the mountain streams near S. Marcello (Pistoia), and although entirely 

 dependent on their own private means, have been thus far successful. Again the Agrarian 

 Committee of Bardolino (Yerona) have 'decided to found a piscicultural establishment on 

 Lake Garda ; on this project the Fisheries Committee reported favourably. Finally, Govern- 

 ment has begun the formation of a small piscicultural establishment for trout in the Eoyal 

 Forestal School at Vallombrosa, in order to impart practical instruction in the matter to 

 those students. Before concluding, it should be mentioned that a successful piscicultural 

 establishment has been working, since 1879, at Torbole near Kiva (Tyrol). 3. Oyster- and 

 Mussel-culture. The inner sea of Taranto (Mare piccolo) and Lake Fusaro, near Naples, 

 which had lost its ancient renown but appears now in a fair way of regaining it, are the 



