288 



BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES. 



Histoire Naturelle des Pomons d'eau douce de V Europe Centrale. Par Ls. 

 Agassiz. 1 « Livraison, contenant les Salmones. Oblong folio. Neu- 

 chatel, 1839. 



Natural History and Illustrations of the British Salmonidce. By Sir Wil- 

 liam Jardine, Bart. Part First. Elephant Folio. Edinburgh, 1839. 



On the Growth of the Salmon in Freshwater. By William Yarrell, F.L.S., 

 V.P.Z.S., with Six coloured Illustrations of the Fish of the Natural 

 Size. Oblong Folio. Van Voorst. London, 1839. 



The titles of the works which we have placed at the head of this 

 notice will show that the interest which the Natural History of the 

 Salmonidse has of late excited, has in no way decreased either in this 

 country or on the Continent, and we sincerely trust that the individuals 

 who are now devoting their talents to the elucidation of the habits and 

 structure of this family of fishes, of much importance commercially and 

 possessing great scientific interest, may be enabled to carry on their 

 investigations until the complete history of the subject is attained. 



At the commencement of the present century, the history of the 

 British fishes composing this family had for a considerable period 

 remained stationary. But then, various experiments began to be tried, 

 with the view of ascertaining the time required by the fry or smelts 

 to attain a certain weight after leaving the rivers, which was very 

 satisfactorily established, showing a remarkably rapid increase in weight 

 and size. This fact, previously surmised, had given rise to the conclu- 

 sion, that the young on hatching from the ova increased with equal 

 rapidity, while the history of a little fish provincially known in Scotland 

 as the Parr, created much discussion, and no little difference of opinion, 

 whether it was a young state of the Salmon, or a full-grown and perfect 

 fish. The immense decrease of the Salmon fisheries also called for 

 investigation ; and although the habits of the species which composed 

 the chief staple of the fisheries were practically known to the Taxmen, 

 the proprietors or their factors were not sufficiently conversant with 

 their growth, migration, or breeding, either to impose salutary restric- 

 tions in the leases, or to check the ^discriminate and over-killing of 

 the fish, which was almost the sole cause of the decrease ; the latter 

 caused the appointment of various Parliamentary Committees, which 

 published reports containing an immense but undigested mass of infor- 

 mation, and which might have elicited much more had the members of 

 them given some attention to the obscure points in the history of the 



