THE CALIFORNIAN SALMON. 
131 
which has in a few years raised noble cities where formerly, 
under the shadow of the Eucalyptus and Casuarina, only a 
few bark mia-mias of a native race were seen, can and 
will advance in the culture of the waters of this new con- 
tinent, until, as knowledge extends, the rivers, streams, 
lakes, and seas shall teem with the scaly denizens of the 
deep. 
THE VALUE OE SALMON EISHEEIES. 
It is undoubtedly in the cold regions of the north that 
we must look for the home of the salmon. Sir John Eoss, 
in his Arctic explorations, found salmon so abundant that 
he could buy one hundred pounds weight from the Esqui- 
maux for a knife, and enormous quantities were consumed 
by this people, one having been observed by him to dispose 
of a stone weight at a meal. 
Few nations have been so highly favoured as Scotland in 
respect to their salmon fisheries, but unfortunately, for 
want of proper legislation to protect the spawning fish, the 
value of the fisheries has greatly diminished ; and should 
there not be greater attention paid to this question, and 
sufficient protection given to the fish, there is a risk of the 
extinction of the salmon in some of those rivers where they 
formerly abounded. 
In Norway, salmon is also extremely abundant, and in 
the rivers of the Pacific sea-board of North America, the 
salmon fisheries are wonderfully productive, the rivers in 
these countries not having been closely fished till recently. 
The extension of railways and of rapid steam communica- 
tion by sea, by bringing the salmon rivers within reach of 
markets, has caused that fish to become scarce, and like 
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