296 DOMESTICATED TROUT. 



Nothing could be more admirably suited to its purpose. 

 One of the best rivers in the world to furnish the parent 

 salmon, an inexhaustible supply of water, both brook and 

 spring, to hatch the eggs in, a hatching house capable of 

 turning out millions of young fry annually, and immediate 

 communication with the river for letting the parent salmon 

 in and out. The place was as near perfect in its adapta- 

 tions as could be wished. As soon as the site was se- 

 lected, and before any work was done, a plan of the whole 

 undertaking was laid before the Hon. Peter Mitchell, the 

 Canadian Minister of Marine and Fisheries. After some 

 consultation, the plan was favorably received, and we were 

 instructed by the minister to prepare a full statement in 

 writing of our plan of operations, with a request for per- 

 mission to take from the Mirimichi River the parent salmon 

 required for our work. 



This statement and petition having been prepared and 

 submitted to the minister, he replied, upon reading it, 

 "Go on with your work, gentlemen ; your wishes will be 

 granted." The work of building the house and pond was 

 prosecuted without delay, and in September, the writer 

 being then in Boston, Mr. Goodfellow, acting on the oral 

 authorization of the minister, began fishing- in the river 

 with a stake-net for the parent salmon. The fishery war- 

 dens, acting in accordance with their general instructions, 

 though hastily, we think, immediately took up and confis- 

 cated the large forty-fathom net which had been used, and 

 released the captured salmon. As it was then the close 

 season, and as the fishing wardens had received no in- 

 structions from headquarters to make an exception in 

 favor of our nets, they were certainly only doing their 

 duty. On the other hand, as they knew, though not 

 through an official source, that the undertaking had the 

 sanction of the head of the Fisheries Department, and as 

 the salmon were not to be killed, but only confined alive in 



