of the Salmon Fish, 209 



ally taken with the worm, and will rise at the fly all the next 

 summer. 



" We were for several years (but I do not recollect the 

 dates) entirely without salmon, and, of course, without smelts; 

 and we invariably found that the smelts made their appear- 

 ance the year after the salmon, but were very small till the 

 second year, when we had what we call blue smelts, which 

 disappeared in May or June ; and what you call pinks, which 

 remained till the following year ; and brambling smelts, which 

 remained another year. The fishermen here are also of 

 opinion, that neither salmon nor trout spawns every year. 



R says that one day lately" (the letter is dated Dec. 13.) 



*' he caught seven trouts, six of which were in good season, 

 and he brought me two the other day, one of which contained 

 roe, and the other was in excellent condition." 



My friend states, in a subsequent communication, that one 

 of the fishermen had told him that he had caught the male 

 smelts (par) more abundantly on the salmon spawning-beds 

 than elsewhere ; and my friend adds that the opinion there 

 is, that, if a female salmon gets up, even if no male accom- 

 panies her, yet her eggs are fecundated by the male smelts ; 

 and they allege, in support of this opinion, that a female got 

 up one season, and spawned, and, though no male was seen 

 near her, her eggs were prolific. I mention this, although I 

 apprehend that it is evidence which the unbelievers will con- 

 sider inadmissible ; for, though no male was seen, still there 

 may have been one ; or, admitting that one did spawn without 

 being accompanied by a male, yet another, which contrived to 

 bring her mate along with her, may have spawned in the same 

 place the same season : yet, notwithstanding its liability to 

 these objections, I have no doubt myself that, if a female 

 were to come alone, her eggs would be impregnated by the 

 par. It is an excellent maxim that nature makes no useless 

 provisions ; yet, if we admit that par are young salmon, for 

 what purpose is the milt, if not to impregnate salmon roe ? and, 

 if we deny this to be the fact, we must endeavour to show that 

 there are female par ; but in all my examinations I have never 

 been able to meet with one that contained roe. 



That the Gtilse are Salmon is proved, I think, sufficiently, 

 by the evidence given before the House of Commons. Mr. 

 Wm. Stephen states [Second Rep.., p. 52.) that he has known 

 grilse kept in a saltwater pond until they had become salmon, 

 and that fry that had been marked came ba.ck that year as 

 grilse, and the year after as salmon; and Mr. George Ho- 

 garth states that he has as often seen a salmon and a grilse 

 working together on the spawning beds, as two salmon or 



Vol. VII.— -No. 39. p 



