THE HABITS OF SALMON 151 



salmon spawns annually, because some salmon are seen on 

 the redds every autumn and winter ; but there is nothing to 

 disprove, and a good deal to suggest, that many salmon 

 spawn only in alternate years, or even at longer intervals. 

 It is quite possible, then, to conceive that these heavy 

 winter fish, which are not gravid when they enter the 

 river, drop down to the sea during the summer, and re- 

 ascend in autumn to perform the function of reproduction. 

 If this be so, they cannot spawn more frequently than in 

 alternate years. 



One more word about them before I have done. Mr. 

 Harvie- Brown regards the winter fish of Loch Tay as 

 identical with the " grey schule " of the Tweed, and there- 

 fore includes them in the observation that " their flesh is 

 inferior and fetches a smaller price in the market." This 

 observation alone suffices to show how different the 

 (temporarily) barren winter fish are from the gravid " grey 

 schule." Referring once more to the Thurso, which is a 

 convenient microcosm of salmon angling, including river 

 and loch, it is a well-observed maxim among those who 

 have fished it for many seasons, not only that the winter 

 fish fight hardest and give the best sport when hooked, but 

 also that they are best on the table. If one wants to send 

 a good fish to an epicure friend, let it be a good thick 

 winter fish, even though his jacket show a tinge of purple, 

 rather than the glittering eight-pounder which has just left 

 the tide. 



I am far, very far, from anything approaching dogmatism 

 on a question so full of obscurity : I only give the impression 

 left on my observant faculties, after wasting much good time 

 in pursuit of salmon in many rivers. That impression is, 

 that the run of heavy winter salmon is continuous with the 

 run of smaller spring fish, just as the heaviest sea-trout 

 precede in June and July their smaller congeners of August. 

 In one case the run of grilse coalesces with and succeeds that 

 of spring salmon ; in the other, that of herling, finnock or 

 whitling sea-trout of from i Ib. to i Ib. weight, presumably 

 the grilse stage of sea-trout coalesces with and succeeds the 

 summer run of their larger kin. 



Upon Mr. Harvie-Brown's opinion as to the cause of 



