On the Murray River Cod. 29 



" These make a total now of forty-nine fish put into the 

 " river since the 6th, all of which I believe to be living and 

 " doing well." 



This you may easily conceive I looked upon as very good 

 news — in fact the success of the experiment. I have little 

 doubt that these would have been sufficient eventually to 

 supply the waters flowing this way. But I was too pleased 

 with the ease of the experiment to put a stop to it ; and 

 besides this I think that in all these attempts, it is very false 

 economy to limit the operation to what may be barely suffi- 

 cient for the purpose. If we attempt to supplement Nature, 

 we ouo-ht to imitate her in one of her most striking attributes 

 — profusion. If the thing be worth doing at all, let us take 

 care to do it well. 



On the 22 nd March, Mr. Sherwin writes — 

 " The last batch of fish we put into the Plenty brought 

 '* the total number up to one hundred and seven, consisting 

 of sixty-six Cod and forty-one Bream, out of which number 

 ' I have an account of only ten deaths, namely, six Cod and 

 four Bream. I have every reason to believe that we have at 

 ' the present moment in the Plenty Kiver sixty Codfish, and 

 f thirty-seven Bream, all living and doing well ; and I think 

 1 that after the batch that he will bring this evening for the 

 c reservoir, he may, as far as the supply to the southern 

 c waters is concerned, then close his labours ; more particu- 

 ' larly as the weather is beginning to break up. I said when 

 ' I last had the pleasure of seeing you, that I read some- 

 e where that a Codfish spawned 3,000,000 and upwards, and 

 i I find, on reference to a work I have, that a Codfish has 

 ' been known to produce 3,600,000 eggs, while a Herring, 

 1 weighing only four or five ounces, spawns from 21,000 to 

 e 36,000. If, therefore, only two of our ninety-seven Bream 

 ' and Cod now living should spawn all right, we shall soon 

 ' have all the waters flowing southward into the Bay teeming 

 e with myriads of the finest, and, for all domestic purposes, 

 ' perhaps, the most useful fish in the world." 



I think that in the last remark my friend Mr. Sherwin 

 probably allows his enthusiasm to run away with him a little. 

 But it is only fair to mention that he is a native of Australia, 

 that he has never been in England, and has, therefore, never 

 had an opportunity of personally examining the claims to 

 the very high character given to this fish, — of the herring, 

 which affords sustenance and employment to thousands of 

 people ; of the true cod of Newfoundland, that supplies a 



