80 
ANIMAL LIFE ON THE 
same rule is carried out in the sea. Feeding upon the inner 
grounds of the shore, on the very spots where the scallop 
frequents, as the trout always does in keeping down the 
vampires of the shore, as he is certainly known to do both 
in the embryo and in a more advanced state, he was of yore 
a far greater agent than he is now in his greatly diminished 
numbers. This is the first point maintained in the com- 
bination of causes that go to make up for the general 
disappearance of the scallop from the waters of the Firth. 
The conversion c-f the Clyde from a paltry stream to 
the capacity of a noble river, is an engineering feat the 
people of Glasgow and Scotland at large have reason to be 
proud of ; and the numerous fleets of steamers that proudly 
float upon her breast have certainly brought incalculable 
blessings, particularly here in the west, in the distribution 
of the wealth that follows in their wake ; but in the second 
place, we have to draw attention to these very steamers, not 
to take exception to their presence, but to the results of the 
style of their management. Taking a retrospective glance 
of the last half-century, how vast must have been the fleet 
of steamers that have passed up and down the river in 
pursuit of commerce. In the same space of time, again, 
taking the up and down daily runs of river passenger 
steamers to and from all quarters of the coast, what a host 
would they number; and although a more recent intro- 
duction the ever-plodding, ev.er-pufling coast-lighters would 
A^astly swell the figures. 
Well, in engendering the steam power of all these 
vessels within the compass of the river alone, how vast 
must have been the quantity of coal consumed, and how 
great must have been the amount of refuse extracted from 
their furnaces. In the river proper, during all these years, 
not a pound of that refuse was allowed to be thrown over- 
