of the Salmon Fish. 21 1 



than in the Ribble, where, with one or two exceptions, the 

 properties are very much divided, and few people think it 

 worth their while to trouble themselves on the subject. 



Dr. Fleming, in his letter to Mr. Kennedy [Appendix to 

 the First Rep., 1825), seems to doubt that salmon enter rivers 

 for any other purpose than that of propagation : but, lest I 

 should misrepresent his opinions, I will quote what he has said 

 on the subject : — "In the evidence taken before the Select 

 Committee, during the last session of parliament, and appear- 

 ing in the Report, there are several statements, of a somewhat 

 imposing kind, which, as they appear to me to be erroneous 

 and apt to mislead, I shall here take the liberty of opposing 

 them." He then enumerates several opinions expressed 

 before the Select Committee; one of which is, " that salmon 

 enter and leave rivers for other purposes than those con- 

 nected with spawning." (See the evidence of Messrs. Little, 

 Halliday, and Johnstone.) 



" 1st. That they enter rivers to rid themselves of sea lice 

 (Mon6culus j^iscinus). 2dly, that they forsake rivers to save 

 themselves from being exhausted by residence in fresh water, 

 and from having their gills devoured by a maggot (Lernae^a 

 5almonea). The whole natural history of the salmon contra- 

 dicts this hypothesis." Another of these " errors " is, " that 

 * it is asserted {Rep,, 1824, p. 145.) that salmon always 

 return to the same river.' This is not probable, when we 

 consider the circumstances in which they are placed during 

 their residence in the sea." On the first of these opinions I 

 am not a competent judge ; but I think that the fact, that 

 salmon enter rivers nine or ten months before they are ready 

 to spawn, is of itself sufficient to show that there are other 

 reasons for their entering rivers than those connected with 

 propagation. With respect to the second, I believe that, 

 after salmon have once entered rivers, at least when they 

 have ascended into the upper parts of them, they never 

 offer to descend again until they have spawned. On the 

 third opinion, I would remark, that although I do not think 

 that salmon airways come to the same river m which they 

 were bred, yet I think that they will do so if they can : and I 

 think that the fact which I have mentioned, of the Hodder (a 

 smaller and a tributary stream of the Ribble) containing 

 many more salmon, as well as more morts and sprods, coun- 

 tenances this supposition : for why should the larger number 

 of fish ascend the smaller river, except for such a reason ? 



I am of opinion that Salmon do not grow so fast in the Sea 

 as is generally supposed. It is here generally believed that 

 the smelts which go down in the spring come up again in 



p 2 



