1870. ] INTRODUCTION OF SALMON INTO TASMANIA. 27 
New Zealand ; and on the 14th of September the residue commenced 
hatching. About 2000 young fish were ultimately distributed from 
this source amongst suitable streams in various parts of Tasmania. 
A report having reached the Commissioners that Salmon had 
been seen at Dunrobin, thirty miles further up the river than 
its junction with the Plenty, Mr. Ramsbottom was despatched 
to the spot, and learnt that a young man, a native of the colony, 
who knew nothing whatever of Salmon, had a month before stated 
to his employer that he had seen a pair of very large fish on one of 
the shallows of the river. Mr. Ramsbottom questioned this young 
man very closely ; and his accurate description of what he saw left no 
doubt on Mr. Ramsbottom’s mind that a pair of Grilse had actually 
spawned in the upper waters; and though the river was too high 
from recent rain to find the rid, the spot pointed out was one as 
well suited for spawning-ground as any in the world. 
On the 19th of October (the majority of the parr hatched from 
the shipment of ova per ‘ Lincolnshire’ having assumed the Smolt 
dress) the perforated zine obstructions were permanently removed ; 
and such of the fish as chose to leave found their way from time to 
time into the Plenty, and thence to sea. 
On the 10th of November, 1867, Mr. Ramsbottom left the ponds 
at the Plenty with 270 Trout-fry in an apparatus of his own arran- 
ging, and landed in Melbourne on the 15th with 248 living fish, a 
feat in pisciculture which had probably never been surpassed, and 
which again proved his peculiar fitness for the position he filled. 
During the months of February and March 1868 the river Derwent 
was unusually high, heavy rains having fallen upon the mountain- 
ranges in which its western tributaries rise ; and partly on this account, 
and partly on account of the serious illness of the Superintendent 
(Mr. Ramsbottom), no regular watch was kept for the return of the 
fish : two or three reports only of their having been seen (one from 
an authentic source) reached the ears of the Commissioners. 
On the 27th of June, 1868, a Trout (S. fario) was caught in the 
Plenty, 26 inches long, and weighing 9} lbs. 
As a large number of the Trout-ova artificially taken during the 
seasons of 1866 and 1867 proved barren, whereas the eggs naturally 
deposited in the rill almost invariably contained fish, it was deter- 
mined to remodel the rill at the upper end of the Trout-pond, and 
to make it resemble as nearly as possible a series of natural spawning- 
beds. This was done, and a temporary fence was erected down 
each side as a shelter, from which the fish could be observed and to 
prevent their being disturbed while on the spawning-beds. During 
the winter of 1868 no spawn was taken artificially, but the whole of 
the Trout were left to their own devices. For more than a month 
pairs of fish could be seen day after day making their rids and depo- 
siting the ova. When the last of the fish had spawned, a perforated 
zine guard was fixed across the lower end of the rill, and the old 
fish thus prevented from leaving the Trout-pond and interfering with 
the ova or young fish. Large numbers of the ova being required for 
distribution in Victoria, New Zealand, and Tasmania, the water in 
