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DR. DAY ON BRITISH AND IRISH SALMONID^E. 



'British and Irish Salmonidoe.' By Francis Day, CLE., F.L.S., F.Z.S., etc. 

 In one volume, with I2 plates. Williams & Norgate, London and Edinburgh, 

 1887. 



Naturalists are well aware of the extent and nature of Dr. Day's 

 contributions to the Ichthyological literature of our islands. He 

 has given us what is now most deservedly recognised as the 

 standard work on ' British and Irish Fishes,' and has contributed 

 innumerable and valuable articles on his favourite science to the 

 proceedings of the learned societies, and to the pages of serial 

 literature. His latest work, now under our consideration, is devoted 

 to the British and Irish Salmonidae, a family the life -histories and 

 the numerous varietal forms of whose species offer a subject full 

 of difficult problems, worthy of the enthusiasm and the ability which 

 the author is so well-known to possess. 



It is quite mipossible in the space at our disposal to give an 

 adequate notion of the contents of this perfect mine of information 

 on all matters worthy of attention appertaining to this most 

 interesting family of our indigenous fishes ; but we must allude to 

 the great amount of matter that is new and original, or known only 

 to the few possessing unusual advantages. In this connection we 

 must not fail to express our own as well as our author's due appre- 

 ciation of the indebtedness of ichthyologists to that worthy and 

 enlightened baronet, Sir James Ramsay Gibson-Maitland, whose 

 unrivalled fish-farm at Howietoun has been a nursery for many 

 experiments, and the means of contributing not a little to our know- 

 ledge of the Salmonidj3e, and also to the valuable art of fish- 

 culture. 



Commencing with the allusions of the classical and ancient 

 writers to the Salmones, the author passes on to discuss the family's 

 distribution in both time and space, its anatomical attributes, 

 its culture, etc., etc., all of which are adequately treated, and in a 

 manner leaving nothing to be desired. 



It is, however, in dealing with the life-histories of the species 

 that the book assumes, to our mind, its most important and 

 interesting stage. The lordly Salmon alone has about one 

 hundred pages devoted to an elaborate account of his engaging 

 biography, to the results of experiments at the establishments for 

 his artificial culture, and to fishery laws affecting him in the three 

 kingdoms. 



Feb. 1888. 



