2 THE LIFE OF THE SALMON 



not seem to mind so much when only an eel's 

 reputation was at stake ; to tamper with the 

 salmon's genealogy was by comparison like dis- 

 puting a title to the peerage. However, the results 

 of the Stormontfield investigations were finally given 

 to the world in two small books, one by William 

 Brown in 1862, the other, since republished, by 

 Robert Buist in 1866. Buist superintended the 

 operations carried on by Peter Marshall, and both 

 were familiar writers to the angling papers of the 

 time, the latter under the title of " Peter of the 

 Pools." 



With regard to the descent of the parr and smolts 

 from the ponds, the results were regarded as show- 

 ing that 60 per cent, descended when two years old, 

 32 per cent, when three years old, and 8 per cent, 

 when only one year old. This was indeed regarded as 

 the proportions in which the young salmon migrated 

 to the sea, but the ponds are several miles above 

 Perth and many miles from the sea, and it is safer 

 to say simply that in this proportion they descended 

 from the ponds. I have even heard some curious 

 hints as to the way certain fish were made to 

 descend, and we know that the argument was as 

 keenly contested as any land reform bill, but 

 such hints probably do not matter much. An 

 attempt was also made to rear smolts in salt water, 

 and a pond on the coast was secured for this 

 purpose. Unfortunately some local poacher put an 

 effectual closure on the experiment by stealing the 

 fish when, as was reported, they had attained the 

 size of herrings. The poacher not only committed 



