4764 Fishes. 



pond, a few miles above Perth, on Wednesday, the 2nd inst. The hatching-troughs 

 connected with the pond were stocked with ova during the season before last, and 

 these were successfully hatched in the course of the spring of 1854. The young fry 

 speedily became inmates of the capacious pond, in which they have continued ever since, 

 and where they are now in excellent condition. The pond is very judiciously con- 

 structed, being not only ample, but of various depth, with a tine pure sparkling stream 

 running through it night and day. It corresponds entirely in its character to any 

 natural expanse of the river Tay, on the bank of which it is formed. Many of the 

 young fish enter the supplying stream, and sport there in the current. You are 

 aware that two objects have been kept in view by the promoters of this experimental 

 pond ; first, to increase the breed of grilse and salmon, by raising securely an addi- 

 tional supply of parr, which are the young recruits from which the marketable fish are 

 eventually obtained; and, second, to ascertain, by a renewed and enlarged experi- 

 ment, open to the inspection of the public, whether these parr assume the silvery aspect 

 and general coudition of smolts (on becoming which they speedily migrate to the sea) 

 after the completion of their first, or not till the termination of their second year. 

 Mr. Andrew Young, of Invershin, a person of great experience, maintains that the 

 smoking, and consequent seaward journey, take place in about a year, that is, that the 

 fry hatched in the spring of 1854 will become smolts, and seek the sea, in that of 

 1855. This, of course, if the correct view, would be the more agreeable, because 

 advantageous, one for the artificial breeder, in so far as, in the rearing of his young 

 fish, he would, save a year's care and keeping ; and where there is only a single pond, 

 that pond might be emptied of its contents each season, and the newly-hatched fry let 

 down into it, soon after their predecessors of a year old had been allowed to take their 

 departure to the sea. On the other hand, Mr. John Shaw, the first who demonstrated 

 that parr, commonly so called, were the fry of salmon, and remained for a long con- 

 tinuance in the river waters, maintains that these small fishes do not become smolts, 

 nor seek the sea, till after the completion of their second year from the time of hatching ; 

 so that, in his opiniou, the genuine smolts of this spring were hatched in the spring of 

 1853, while the parr of last year's hatching will not grow into smolts, nor migrate sea- 

 wards, till the ensuing spring of 1856. I desire now to state to you, very briefly, the 

 result of our recent examination of the contents of the pond, and the conclusion 

 come to. We saw many thousands of these parr, with sufficient distinctness to receive 

 a correct impression of their actual state; and we, moreover, netted a sufficient 

 number of samples for a closer and more minute examination. Although these fish 

 are now about thirteen months old, there was not a single smolt among them. They 

 corresponded entirely to the year-old parr which we took from the river for comparison. 

 The only example of a smolt exhibited to the meeting throughout our prolonged and 

 careful inquiry and investigation of several hours, was one caught by Dr. Eisdale, of 

 Perth, while angling in the river Tag. He brought it up to us immediately, and 

 when set alongside the parr from the pond, its greater size and spotless silvery lustre 

 made its difference obvious to all. The meeting came to the distinct and unavoidable 

 conclusion that the inhabitants of the pond were still parr ; and Lord Mansfield, 

 especially, and very properly, pressed for their being detained in confinement for 

 another year, for the sake of a complete and conclusive experimental demonstration 

 that these so-called parr take two years to become smolts. In this view Mr. Shaw 

 (who was present) and myself cordially concurred. We did not hear a dissentient 

 voice ; and not a syllable was said about a single smolt having been seen in the pond: 



