6 FISH CCLTUKE. 



years, viz. from 1833 to 1839. In 1833 and the 

 following years, he took young parr from the river, 

 and experimented with them. In 1836 he collected 

 spawn from the natural beds deposited by the salmon 

 themselves, and hatched it by artificial incubation. 

 In January, 1837, having prepared suitable beds and 

 basins for hatching and rearing the fish, he caught a 

 male and female salmon in the Nith, expressed the 

 roe and milt in the manner at present employed, and 

 placed it in the beds prepared,* hatched and reared 

 the fish, and kept them until they reached the smolt 

 state. So that in this country Mr. Shaw must be 

 deemed, if not the discoverer, the first person who 

 has of later years practised the art, and given the 

 results to the public ; and as far as actual results 

 are concerned, it has all the merit of a discovery. 

 In Trance, Messrs. Gehin and Eemy, two French 

 fishermen of Bresse, in the department of Vosges, 

 may be said to have re-discovered, the art, as far 

 as their own country is concerned. They were poor, 

 and to an extent ignorant fishermen, who clearly 

 had nothing but observation to trust to. Cer- 

 tainly, their discovery led to more immediate and 



• Whether Mr. Shaw took the idea or no from " Salmonia," 

 I cannot say, but he would in all prohability have read that 

 work. 



