286 AMERICAN FISH CULTURE. 



hundreds of thousands of fry have heen wasted. For in 

 its present state no salmon fry can pass through the London 

 filth to the sea. I told them that it was impossible from 

 ^ the first. Mr. Ffennel, our late inspector, and every person 

 really acquainted with the salmon, said the same thing. 

 Yet, have they gone on with this insane experiment for six 

 or seven years in succession, and never a single grilse has 

 been seen above London, nor will any be seen until the 

 sewerage, which is terribly poisoned with gas, refuse, and 

 many other matters fatal to fish, can be disposed of, when 

 the thing may be practicable. As regards the young trout 

 put into the river, they are picked up by the perch and pike 

 to a large extent, and those that are left, as they rise freely 

 to the fly, are caught in a considerable number before they 

 get to a pound weight, so that very few ever increase to bene- 

 fit in any way the stock of the river. I greatly fear that the 

 whole thing is little better than a complete failure. Last 

 season almost the whole of the fry were stolen by one of 

 the men about them, and sold surreptitiously, as they are 

 worth money. There is really no piscicultural news at all 

 beyond this. I wish there was — and such being the state 

 of things, I am sorely tempted to try my hand again by 

 Lord Breadalbane's offer, if it were not for the immense 

 amount of trouble and expense which such work entails 

 without any prospect of paying even in the long run. Lord 

 B. was much struck with your remarks on the catfish,* &c., 



* It will be seen on page 216 how these fish can be transported in 

 wet cloths ; last spring a few of them weje quite li^Tsly when shalien 

 from a blanket after the wagon had returned to the city, when they 

 had been out of water for twelve hours. I have no doubt that with 

 some care they could be sent to England by steamer in the same 

 way. Keeping the cloths saturated with water not over ten degrees 

 above freezing point, and a daily examination to take out any that 

 might die, I think would insure the transportation of at least half 

 of them. The experiment would cost but a trifle. 



