THE CANADIAN SPORTSMAN AND NATURALIST. 



i: 



utility and good results derived from salmon 

 breeding in the neighbourhood of the sea, but 

 placing young fish in a large inland lay or 

 lake, where the water is swarming with 

 enemies, is a blind proceeding, producing not 

 one scientific result.; ii, is actually absurd. 

 Almost all the fish will be wasted, and the few 

 that survive will doubtless leave the dangerous 

 waters, never to return again. Have we nut, 

 already proved that shad pass annually from 

 the Gulf to Lake Ontario, and by so doing 

 shewn that the lake is not land-locked to fishes 

 which require a change of water ? Therefore, 

 the fact that shad pass up the St. Lawrence 

 to Burlington Bay, is strong proof that salmon 

 hatched on the north shore of the lake are not 

 likely to remain behind, while they can find 

 their way to the sea. If this is not the case, 

 what has become of all the salmon hatched 

 year after year at Newcastle ? What benefit 

 has the country derived commercially from 

 this source to make up the annual outlay of 

 money to sustain this establishment? 



WILD RICE. 



The cultivation of Wild Bice has been to a 

 great extent successful when undertaken in the 

 inland waters of Western Canada, where it is 

 partly a native, and now it may be found in 

 ponds, lakes and rivers in Ontario. We have 

 no available record of how far north this aqua- 

 tic plant or cereal can grow, but itseems extra- 

 ordinary that in the Province of Quebec no 

 attempt has been made to experiment with its 

 seed. On the British side of Lake Champlain 

 there are many available localities for the intro- 

 duction of wild rice seed, and although we 

 think it will not grow north of latitude 46.50, 

 the seed should be sown in places at first south 

 of the St. Lawrence, where, if it succeeds; and 

 becomes acclimatized to the combined waters, 

 then the good localities on the north side could 

 be tried. It induces the presence of all kinds 

 of wild water fowl in the autumn. In the west 

 it grows in water six or eight feet deep, and the 



red-winged blackbird, ducke and wa 

 there and afford fine shooting. SporUn 

 Clube are using every effort to extend 

 in Canada. Ii in also said that when 

 prolifically, it has been cul before seed-time by 

 manufacturers, who find it- fibre, taken from 

 the under surface of the water t., a depth of 

 six or seven feel to bever) valuable. It afii 

 it is said, the >t longest kind of fibre known tor 

 making bank note parchmenl paper. 



GOOD ANGLING PROSPECTS. 

 We have been informed since the Fishery 

 Department al < >t(awa, and the Fish and Game 

 Club of the Province of Quebec stopped net 

 fishing, that Maskilonge, Black Bass, Pike- 

 perch, and other good food fishes occur abun- 

 dantly in local waters this year. Of course, the 

 abundance of the fishes is mainly attributed 

 to this mode of preservation, which may be th<' 

 case, but we are aware that fish, like terrestrial 

 animals, have an occasional prolific specific 

 year. Be this the case or not, there is a pros- 

 pect that anglers will have good sporl this 

 season. 



THE QUEBEC MARMOT. 



(.Artomys empelra.) 



This quadruped, a rodent, allied to the 

 ground squirrel. (Tamias), does not occur to 

 our knowledge on the Island of Montreal. It is, 

 however, common in many other portions of 

 Canada. The following remarks are made 

 from one which we have had from the Eastern 

 Townships. It is larger than the Alpine Mai- 

 mot. Its head is smaller in proportion, and 

 round; its ears are very short ; its cheeks are 

 ash gray, and its nose black. The fur is o( a 

 curious roan colour from the hairs being gray 

 beneath, black in the middle, and white at the 

 tips; the belly and legs are ot a high-toned 

 fawn, approaching to orange ; the toes are black 

 and naked; the tail short and rather bushy. 

 This species inhabits Hudson Bay and the nor- 

 thern parts of Canada. It is a solitary animal, 



