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Show 1870.] INTRODUCTION OF SALMON INTO TASMANIA. 27 New Zealand; and on the 14th of September the residue commenced hatching. About 2000 young fish were ultimately distributed from this source amongst suitable streams in various parts of Tasmania. A report having preached the Commissioners that Salmon had been seen at Dunrobin, thirty miles further up the river than its junction with the Plenty, Mr. Ramsbottom was despatched to the spot, and learnt that a young man, a native of the colony, who knew nothing whatever of Salmon, had a month before stated to his employer that he had seen a pair of very large fish on one of the shallows of the river. Mr. Ramsbottom questioned this young man very closely ; and his accurate description of what he saw left no doubt on Mr. Ramsbottom's mind that a pair of Grilse had actually spawned in the upper waters; and though the river was too high from recent rain to find the rid, the spot pointed out was one as well suited for spawning-ground as any in the world. On the 19th of October (the majority of the parr hatched from the shipment of ova per ' Lincolnshire ' having assumed the Smolt dress) the perforated zinc obstructions were permanently removed; and such of the fish as chose to leave found their way from time to time into the Plenty, and thence to sea. On the 10th of November, 1867, Mr. Ramsbottom left the ponds at the Plenty with 270 Trout-fry in an apparatus of his own arranging, and landed in Melbourne on the 1 5th with 248 living fish, a feat in pisciculture which had probably never been surpassed, and which again proved his peculiar fitness for the position he filled. During the months of February and March 1S68 the river Derwent was unusually high, heavy rains having fallen upon the mountain-ranges in which its western tributaries rise ; and partly on this account, and partly on account of the serious illness of the Superintendent (Mr. Ramsbottom), no regular watch was kept for the return of the fish: two or three reports only of their having been seen (one from an authentic source) reached the ears of the Commissioners. On the 27th of June, 1868, a Trout (S. fario) was caught in the Plenty, 26 inches long, and weighing 9| lbs. As a large number of the Trout-ova artificially taken during the seasons of 1866 and 1867 proved barren, whereas the eggs naturally deposited in the rill almost invariably contained fish, it was determined to remodel the rill at the upper end of the Trout-pond, and to make it resemble as nearly as possible a series of natural spawning-beds. This was done, and a temporary fence was erected down each side as a shelter, from which the fish could be observed and to prevent their being disturbed while on the spawning-beds. During the winter of 1868 no spawn was taken artificially, but the whole of the Trout were left to their own devices. For more than a month pairs of fish could be seen day after day making their rids and depositing the ova. When the last of the fish had spawned, a perforated zinc guard was fixed across the lower end of the rill, and the old fish thus prevented from leaving the Trout-pond and interfering with the ova or young fish. Large numbers of the ova being required for distribution in Victoria, N e w Zealand, and Tasmania, the water in |