The trout-food insects of Tasmania. Part. I; A study of the genotype of the Mayfly genus Atalophlebia and its life history

The study of the more important insects which serve as food for trout in any given country is, in these days of applied science, an indispensable preliminary to a full understanding of the methods by which a successful and permanent trout-fishery can be maintained in that country. For many years I have been interested in those groups of aquatic insects which are of most importance as trout-food. But I have never found, anywhere in Australia, any public realisation of their economic importance, and thus it comes about that even to-day, when scientific ideas have penetrated further into the public mind than ever before, it still remains impossible for any work on such insects to be carried out officially. The alternatives are, either to leave the subject alone and let the knowledge gained die with one, or to work at the subject slowly in one’s spare time, in the hope that something of value may come out of it in time to save the inland fisheries of Australia from deterioration due to lack of scientific knowledge