os ———— 
ON 
EDITORIAL GLEANINGS. 285 : 
“« Facts established.—In the investigation of some of these questions, 
most excellent work has already been done, not only in Holland and ~ 
Germany upon the Salmon in the Rhine by Dr. Hoek and Professor 
Miescher Ruesch, but also by Mr. Archer, the Inspector of Salmon 
Fisheries for Scotland, in conjunction with Mr. Grey and Mr. Tosh. The 
careful series of observations embodied in the annual reports are well worth 
careful study by the zoologist and the Salmon fisher. They should help to 
dispel the absurd traditions which cling around the history of the Salmon, 
and to pave the way for the complete solution of many of the problems we 
have enumerated. ‘The present investigation is a continuation and ampli- 
fication of these researches, and would have been impossible without these 
previous laborious studies. Briefly stated, these investigations of the 
Fishery Board have established the following facts :—That some Salmon 
spawn every year, though there is strong evidence that all do not do so. 
That the genitalia of fish coming from the sea develop steadily from April 
on to the spawning time, and that the genitalia of Salmon in the earlier 
summer months develop more rapidly than those of Grilse. That the pro- 
portion of the weight of the fish is constant for all sizes of Salmon. That 
Salmon continue to feed while in the sea until September. This is shown, 
firstly, by the presence of food in the stomach of a certain proportion 
of the fish captured, and, secondly, by the fact that the fish leaving the sea 
are somewhat heavier—from 2 to 3 per cent.—in August and September 
than they are in the earlier months, whereas if they had entirely stopped 
feeding they should have been lighter. If Salmon do feed in the sea, it is 
perhaps curious that food should be found in so small a percentage of those 
- captured at the mouths of rivers. But it must be remembered that the 
estuary of the river is not the natural feeding-ground of the Salmon, and 
it is probably only by chance that food is still in the stomach of fish 
captured there.” 
* Mr. Consut Huary, in his latest report on the trade of Bordeaux to 
the Foreign Office, makes some striking observations as to the folly of the 
destruction of birds. He points out that the appearance of ths Cochylis, a 
most destructive insect, is contemporary with the destruction of small 
birds in the vineyards. No sooner does the ‘ chasse’ open than every man 
and boy is seen with a gun, stalking and ‘ potting ’ every small bird he can 
get near enough to. The consequence is that there is literally no bird life 
among the vines, and consequently insect life now reigns supreme. On 
- one property alone, from July 20th to Sept. 10th, 5000 days’ labour 
of women and children was alone employed in looking for and destroying 
the eggs and larve of this insect. ‘But if only birds were allowed free 
action they would,’ the Consul says, ‘assuredly, gladly accomplish this 
