THE CALIFORNIAN SALMON. 
137 
remainder o£ the fish, partly in a fine creek on the south 
side of the valley, and partly in the main river. The stream 
was running with a clear and rapid current, about twenty 
yards wide, and is greatly encumbered with fallen timber, 
which bridges the channel over in many places. The 
temperature of the water was 60 deg. Fahrenheit. The 
river banks are lined with Eucalypti of an enormous height, 
straight and round as if turned in a lathe, up to 200 feet 
without a branch. Underneath are giant fern-trees, 
Dicksonias, Alsophyllas, and splendid Todeas, with brush- 
wood, climbers, and ferns six or eight feet high, and 
very difiB.cult to penetrate. The soil on the river flats is 
good enough for anything, and the wonder is, that it is not 
already occupied. 
^‘The fish were netted out of the cans, and at the last 
the water was poured through a net that any dead fish 
might be seen. In one can there were nine dead, and in 
the other ten, being a loss of nineteen in all out of 4000, or 
less than one-half per cent. This result is exceedingly 
satisfactory.” 
The fish taken charge of at Geelong by Mr. Le Souef 
were liberated on the same day, the following particulars 
having appeared in the Argus : — 
“ The deposit of salmon fry in the head waters of the 
Yarra was successfully carried out yesterday morning 
(December 19th, 1877). Four cans of fish were despatched 
from Ercildoune on Monday, and divided at Geelong into 
two lots. One lot was sent westward, and two cans were 
brought on to Melbourne. They reached Spencer-street 
station at eleven p.m., whence they were taken by Mr. Le 
Souef, the hon. secretary of the Zoological and Acclimati- 
sation Society (accompanied by Mr. Purchas, one of the 
vice-presidents), to the Badger Creek. The party travelled 
all night, and reached Coranderrk, at the junction of the 
