Sir.

I have just finished reading your “Earthworms and mould”— it is most interesting and is all so true.² I know nothing about worms except as a fisherman I have sometimes to hunt for them—and in very dry weather I have to reach the moisture before I overtake the worms— at page 114 you say they have chambers one above the other. May not this be a case of moisture   as the drought increases they would go the lower— at page 156 the stone is more silted up at the east end.³ Would not this point to the wind as a considerable factor in accumulating the soil—? The west is the prevailing wind and the dust would curl in behind the stone like a snow drift— A year or two ago I wrote to you pointing out that a hare had a cry beyond the cry of pain—and you very kindly wrote back to me—⁴ I enclose a slip about Salmon in which I am much interested, if you had a spare quarter of an hour I would take it as a great honor and favor if you would give your opinion on the slip.⁵ Will the theory hold water?

Our best Salmon both for food and sport come into the rivers in Spring and Summer, but most of them are killed— The killing except by rod ceases at the end of August— Plenty fish come into the rivers during September and October, and it is chiefly on these September and October fish that we rely upon as breeders to produce young Salmon— I hold that a fish that does not come into the river till August is not likely to produce a fish that will come into the river in March— The Salmon Commissioners are quite content that we should breed almost entirely from Autumn fish—and seem to care little what becomes of all the Spring and Summer fish, that is they dont protect them for breeding—⁶

Yours faithfully | J. Dunbar Brander—

7^th Dec^r.