Distribution of the Salmon Fry. 213 



have no difficulty in getting to the sea, but 

 I fear they will not succeed in returning. We 

 reached the Aire at a point near to its junction 

 with the sea. Here a boat had been provided, 

 in which we rowed up the river, with the fish- 

 tins covered with wet rags, the day being very 

 hot. Mr. Walls recommended that we should 

 go up the Ford river, a tributary of the Aire, 

 which we did, and liberated 60 of the young 

 fry in it. We then rowed up the Aire for 

 about four or five miles, and liberated the 

 remainder of the fish, about 175, making in 

 all 247 in the Aire, the Ford, and the Parker 

 rivers, only losing four fish from the total 

 number of 500 received at Ballarat. The 

 Aire river is 20 to 30 yards wide about a 

 mile and a half from the sea, and continues 

 a good width for about two or three miles 

 inland. It is, however, liable to be barred, in 

 certain seasons, with the sand washing in from 

 the ocean. Only recently Messrs. Stevenson 

 and ' Walls scooped out a passage for its 

 accumulated waters to get to the sea, and 

 thereby considerably reduced the depth of the 

 river, and drained a large extent of swampy 

 land adjoining it. The scenery along the 



