﻿FISHES. 
  

  

  258 
  

  

  and 
  other 
  wriggling 
  objects 
  is 
  well 
  known. 
  But 
  the 
  swallow- 
  

   ing 
  of 
  a 
  few 
  worms 
  can 
  do 
  but 
  little 
  to 
  make 
  good 
  the 
  

   enormous 
  changes 
  going 
  in 
  the 
  fish, 
  even 
  if, 
  when 
  swallowed, 
  

   they 
  are 
  digested 
  and 
  used." 
  If, 
  then, 
  worms, 
  etc., 
  are 
  not 
  

   digested, 
  what 
  object 
  has 
  the 
  fish 
  in 
  swallowing 
  them 
  ? 
  

   Would 
  it 
  not 
  be 
  dangerous 
  for 
  the 
  fish 
  to 
  do 
  so 
  ? 
  In 
  the 
  

   course 
  of 
  the 
  time 
  salmon 
  are 
  in 
  the 
  river, 
  they 
  would 
  

   accumulate 
  a 
  quantity 
  of 
  worms, 
  etc., 
  that 
  would, 
  of 
  necessity, 
  

   become 
  putrid 
  if 
  not 
  digested, 
  and 
  would 
  thereby 
  endanger 
  the 
  

   life 
  of 
  the 
  fish. 
  

  

  But 
  so 
  long 
  as 
  we 
  know 
  that 
  the 
  remains 
  of 
  fish 
  have 
  been 
  

   found 
  in 
  the 
  stomachs 
  of 
  salmon 
  that 
  were 
  caught 
  in 
  the 
  

   upper 
  reaches 
  of 
  our 
  rivers, 
  and 
  that 
  chey 
  are 
  taken 
  with 
  

   minnow, 
  both 
  natural 
  and 
  artificial, 
  and 
  that 
  they 
  rush 
  

   greedily 
  at 
  a 
  bait 
  formed 
  of 
  salmon 
  roe, 
  the 
  fact 
  cannot 
  be 
  

   ignored 
  that 
  they 
  are 
  ready 
  to 
  feed 
  whenever 
  opportunity 
  

   occurs. 
  Besides 
  that, 
  it 
  is 
  now 
  known 
  that 
  our 
  lochs 
  and 
  

   streams 
  swarm 
  with 
  myriads 
  of 
  copepoda 
  and 
  other 
  minute 
  

   crustaceans 
  — 
  these 
  of 
  themselves 
  are 
  sufficient 
  to 
  form 
  a 
  fair 
  

   supply 
  of 
  food 
  for 
  salmon, 
  as 
  the 
  same 
  group 
  of 
  creatures 
  do 
  

   to 
  the 
  herrings 
  in 
  the 
  sea. 
  

  

  Regarding 
  the 
  disease 
  to 
  which 
  salmon 
  are 
  subject, 
  it 
  has 
  

   been 
  a 
  question 
  whether 
  those 
  of 
  them 
  that 
  succeed, 
  while 
  

   in 
  that 
  state, 
  in 
  reaching 
  the 
  sea 
  get 
  cured 
  of 
  the 
  ailment. 
  It 
  

   has 
  been 
  said 
  they 
  do 
  not. 
  I, 
  however, 
  obtained 
  a 
  salmon 
  

   that 
  was 
  caught 
  by 
  trawl 
  40 
  miles 
  off 
  shore, 
  whose 
  body 
  

   showed 
  the 
  usual 
  marks 
  left 
  by 
  the 
  disease, 
  while 
  on 
  other 
  

   patches 
  the 
  fungus 
  was 
  still 
  adhering, 
  and 
  when 
  this 
  was 
  

   examined 
  under 
  the 
  microscope 
  it 
  proved 
  unmistakably 
  to 
  be 
  

   Saprolegnia 
  ferax 
  of 
  the 
  river, 
  and 
  it 
  was 
  evident 
  that 
  the 
  

   disease 
  was 
  disappearing, 
  and 
  the 
  sores 
  healed 
  since 
  it 
  had 
  

   reached 
  the 
  sea 
  ; 
  while 
  the 
  appearance 
  of 
  the 
  fish 
  gave 
  

   evidence 
  that 
  it 
  had 
  not 
  been 
  long 
  since 
  it 
  had 
  left 
  the 
  

   fresh 
  water. 
  

  

  Taking 
  it 
  all 
  and 
  all, 
  much 
  has 
  yet 
  to 
  be 
  done 
  before 
  the 
  

   life 
  history 
  of 
  the 
  salmon 
  can 
  be 
  fully 
  elucidated. 
  

  

  Salmo 
  fario, 
  Linn. 
  Common 
  Trout 
  

  

  " 
  There 
  are 
  none 
  in 
  Loch-an-ean, 
  Loch-na-gar, 
  or 
  Duloch. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Richard 
  M'Queen 
  is 
  answerable 
  for 
  these 
  facts." 
  (Mac- 
  

  

  E 
  

  

  