The Salmon : 3 



we have mentioned, there is still another distinct run of fish of the 



same marking (April and May 1905), which comes on a month later 



(iSth July 1907). From the marking it will be observed that the last 



marked fish, when caught on i4th June 1907, was 11 Ibs. The next 



fish was caught on iSth July, and weighed i8J Ibs. ; while the largest 



marked fish, got on 9th August, weighed 27 Ibs. During the 



month of August marked fish were got almost every day up to the 



2Oth, when the net-fishing closes. One weighing 15 Ibs. was got on 



the 2Oth of September on Stanley Water by Mr. F. Martin when 



angling; and another was caught while we were netting for ova. In 



October some of these fish reach the weight of 30 Ibs., and, as was 



said above, begin running about the middle of July and cease in 



December. The earliest of these fish have been in the sea for two 



years and two and a half months, and the latest of them for two years 



and seven months. Those that survive spawn, become kelts, and go 



back to the sea in November and December (1907). Taking the end 



of March 1903 as the time of hatching, it will thus be seen that 



they are four years and nine months old, although if any one had 



asserted a few years ago that fish were from 12 to 30 Ibs. on their 



first return from the sea after going down as smolts, and had not 



spawned, he would have been held up to ridicule. 



There is still another run of the same marking, April and May 

 1905. This is the great run of winter or spring fish, which, like the 

 last run, are in the pink of condition and surpass all the other runs of 

 fish. These fish will not spawn till the next November, some of 

 them being in the river over a year before spawning. Many of these 

 large fish find their way into Loch Tay, Loch Ness, the river Ness, 

 the river Garry, and the Spey. A number are also found in the Dee, 

 the Tay, the Tummel ; the Wye in England ; the Boyne and the 

 Blackwater in Ireland, and other spring rivers, where large spring fish 

 give fine sport at the opening of the season. The two earliest rivers 

 in Scotland are the Tay and the Ness. In some seasons the average 

 weight of the spring fish caught in Loch Tay has been 22 Ibs., and in 

 other seasons over this weight. 



