292 APPAEATUS OF CAPTUEE. 



visit to the Nbrtii Pole ! Then as to the spawning of fishes 

 the most absurd ideas used to prevail. All kinds of mtre sea 

 substances were set down as fish-spawn ; and as to the modus 

 operandi of spawning, the queerest fancies were indulged in even 

 by persons who ought to have known better. 



How best to secure the fishes of the sea is still an unsolved 

 problem. The French have invented various self-acting machines 

 for their fisheries. One of these, a model of which was shown 

 at Aroachon, is so contrived that, the moment a large fish is 

 caught, it gives the signal of its capture by causing a bell to ring ! 

 An ingenious " salmon-catcher," which is used on some of the 

 French rivers, excited the attention of the visitors to Arcaehon. 

 It is formed of three large fanners or dippers of strong network, 

 which revolve on an axis and are driven by the water of the 

 stream on which they are placed, and in the inner end of each of 

 the fanners there is a funnel, through which the fishes find their 

 way into a large reservoir, where they can be detained, in water 

 of course, till wanted for the table. Throughout France there 

 are numerous contrivances by which fish capture themselves. 

 Indeed, at the productive moiers of Monsieur Boisbre, situated at 

 the west end of the basin of Arcaehon, the working of the fishery 

 is so planned that the lagoons form a large reservoir from which 

 the fish can be easily ladled out as they are wanted for the 

 market. In the construction of his viviers, the proprietor has 

 so studied the economy of labour that his staff of workers consists 

 of only half a dozen persons — a very moderate number when 

 there are three hundred acres of water, with a great variety of 

 gates and canals, to be looked after. In Holland there are no 

 mviers ; and although the numerous canals would give abundant 

 opportunity for fish-breeding, I could not ascertain that the Dutch 

 people carried on any system of fish-culture beyond making every 

 canal, big or little, a reservoir for eels, of which immense 

 quantities are captured for the Paris, Brussels, and London 

 markets. It may be said of aU these foreign fishery exhibitions 

 that they were not what is wanted : they were mere temporary 

 displays, forgotten a day after they were closed ; but what is 

 wanted is a permanent fishery " exposition," where the science 

 of the sea can be always on exhibition, and where those who do 

 not have business on the great waters may see what men have 

 to encounter who have. 



In Mr. Buokland's "Museum of Economic Fish-culture" at 

 Kensington, the public will find an admirable nucleus of the 



