The Transport of Live Fish. 131 



at a time, and then allowing them to spring 

 off the net, into the vessel placed ready to 

 receive them. 



Tobacco smoke is most injurious and 

 poisonous to salmon fry in transit, especially 

 if the bellows be used while the air is impreg- 

 nated with it. The essential oil of tobacco is 

 a volatile essence known as nicotine. It is 

 a deadly poison ; and when air filled with 

 tobacco smoke is forced into the cans, the 

 nicotine is condensed and remains in the 

 water, causing certain death to the fish, should 

 the quantity of the poison be sufficient. Even 

 the fumes and smoke from the locomotive 

 may in some cases prove dangerous. I have 

 had losses occur where the cause could not 

 be traced ; and it is singular that only a part 

 will sometimes die, and the remainder seem 

 unaffected. Motion of the vessel, however 

 violent, does not seem to hurt the fish, at any 

 rate after the first few miles of the journey, 

 and, in fact, rather tends to benefit them, by 

 the aeration of the water caused by its splash- 

 ing about in the cans. 



In sending off the different lots of fish to 

 their destinations I gave written instructions 



