66 OBSERVATIONS ON ACCLIMATISATION OF THE TRUE SALMON. 



" sensitive to any change of external conditions " as is tlie 

 salmon, the efforts to permanently establish it in Tasmania 

 have so far proved fruitless. 



I may suitably mention here that prior to obtaining this 

 practical information regarding the conditions of temperature, 

 I was inclined to anticipate that some mistake had been made 

 as to the description of ova remitted from England during 

 the earlier years of the acclimatisation operations. This 

 interpretation was to some extent supported by evidence 

 tendered to me, and there, in point of fact, appeared to be no 

 other logical explanation of the circumstance that no un- 

 doubted, or at all events matured, examples of Salmo solar 

 could be shown for the many thousands of fry distributed 

 in the rivers of this colony for several successive years fol- 

 lowing upon that of 1864. And taking also into consideration 

 the fact that its near congener, the salmon trout, S. trutta, 

 was, and is still, abundantly represented in these waters. A 

 closer enquiry has elicited evidence showing that there is no 

 reason to doubt the specific identity of the salmon ova 

 forwarded in the first consignments through the instrumen- 

 tality of Mr. J. A. Youl, C.M.Gr., and certainly, no doubt 

 whatever can be entertained as to the genuineness of the 

 importations more recently received, collected and packed 

 under the personal direction of Sir Thomas Brady, and from 

 which importations the specimens furnishing the subject 

 matter of this communication have been mainly derived. 



In conclusion, I would remark that ever^ resource at the 

 command of human skill has been brought to bear upon the 

 naturalisation of the salmon in Tasmania, and no more fitting 

 opportunity than the present could be selected for placing on 

 record the indebtedness of the colony to that body of 

 gentlemen, the late Salmon Commissioners, who have so 

 perseveringly devoted their time and best energies for many 

 years to these acclimatisation operations. And if, owing to 

 gin inflexible law of nature, this one species has proved 

 intractible, they will have the satisfaction of knowing that 

 through their accomplished establishment in Tasmania of 

 many varieties of the allied and more plastic forms of Salmo 

 trutta and Salmo fario, they have conferred on the community 

 at large, if not an equal, yet a very substantial benefit. 



