26 man's influence on food-fishes. 



life culminating in the food-fishes. The story of these restric- 

 tive measures hereafter to be detailed, indeed, shows that they 

 must now be retained on another basis than that afforded by 

 science. We may calculate, as the Duke of Argyll's Commis- 

 sion did, the probable duration of our coal-supply, but the 

 perennial abundance of our marine food-fishes depends on so 

 many factors, each of which has stood every test so well, that, 

 after due precautions and careful experiments, we may, with- 

 out distrust, look forward to the future. 



