13 



The difficulties to be overcome in any attempt by man to. 

 ftlter the existing natural balance of animal life are felt to be 

 no great by most scientific naturalists in England, that they 

 look upon many of the acclimatization projects as likely to 

 result in utter failure, and our salmon experiment especially 

 hai been frequently regarded as a waste of money, except aa 

 a warning to others. But the objecting naturalists have 

 overlooked the fact that the tidal waters of the Berwent have 

 unintentionally, but none the less certainly, been admirably 

 prepared for the introduction of new fish by the indiscriminate 

 and wholesale destruction of the indigenous species, carried on 

 for 30 years past, thus removing powerful enemies on the one 

 hand, and on the other increasing the quantity of food, which 

 formerly went to support vast shoals of native fish, but which 

 \vill now furnish an abundant supply to our grilse and salmon. 



