38 
FISH BREEDING PONDS. 
There are two ponds, each being about 70ft. long by 40ft. in 
width, and shelving to a depth of about 5ft. in the deepest part ; 
they are pitched with rough stone, artificial caves or hides 
being made for the fish. Above each pond there is what is 
termed a rill, along which water flows before entering the 
respective ponds. These rills are about 4ft. wide at the lower 
end, where they enter the ponds, and about 8in. or 9in. deep, 
shoaling gradually to 2in. or 3in. at the upper end ; they are 
serpentine in form to give greater length, being about 66 yards 
long. Into the upper one water is admitted from the mill 
race, and this flows through the whole length of rills, and 
through the ponds. The ponds are also supplied directly from 
the race. The upper race and ponds are tenanted at present 
by some 200 or 300 brown trout, which were hatched in 
October last from ova obtained from Tasmania, while the 
lower pond is occupied by English salmon trout, hatched at 
the same time from ova similarly obtained. It is intended to 
keep 25 or 30 parent fish in each of the ponds, leaving them 
to deposit their ova naturally in the rills which are made for 
the purpose, means being taken to prevent the access of large 
fish from the ponds after the ova have been deposited ; ova 
and young fish will afterwards be distributed throughout the 
colony to stock suitable streams/’ 
Owing to the great attention w*liich Tasmania has 
absorbed, and deservedly so, in fish acclimatisation in 
Australasia, comparatively little is known of what has 
been done in Victoria, but real and substantial progress 
has nevertheless been made, notwithstanding that there 
have been mistakes and much delay, while those 
who have been doing the work have been content 
to do it quietly and unknown, in order that they 
should be less interfered with and their endeavours 
should succeed. 
Victorian rivers are not, so far as the writer is 
aware, adapted for salmon, and, unlike Tasmania, 
comparatively few are adapted for salmon trout. 
