55 



After the nets are off the grilse and trout run up. There are a new batch CORNHILL- 

 of fish in October. Knows a grilse from a salmon by its scales and tail. * ; u ' 



Land drainage has altered the periods of fish running up. Formerly they 

 ran up in January. 



Does not know what the disease is, nor how to cure it. The I weed fisheries 

 have decreased. The trout kelts eat the fry and spawn of salmon. Has 

 found six and seven fry in a bull-trout kelt. The kelts eat spawn too. 



Believes there are coal-fish at Benvick-on-Tweed, and young saithe. 



Thinks most fish die that are hooked and "run" and put back. Has 

 found them dead after he has run them. 



Catches well-mended fish. Has not seen so many of them diseased. 



Some people think artificial manures are the cause of the disease. The 

 lime from gasworks is used on grass. . 



The pollutions come from the Gala. There is some also from the Teviot. 

 Cannot see any pollution down here. 



Sheep washing does not do so much harm. 



People complain of bad water here. Cattle will not drink it in the summer 

 after six or eight weeks of drought. There are wells here and two springs. 



The weeds grow in the summer without rain more than usual. They have 

 increased the last few years. The stones get furred with green after a long 

 drought. They are duty now. The floods clean them. 



Major Dickens.— Has known the Tweed for 29 years, and has known 

 diseased fish for 29 years. Thinks the disease is more noticed now because 

 the clean fish have it. Formerly only kelts and baggits had it. 



Never saw clean fish affected till this year. Landed one at Carham this year 

 with fungus on the end of the nose and round the jaw. Next day it had grown 

 worse. Had one that had died. It was too beastly to handle, being covered 

 all over with fungus and scabs, mostly fungus. Has seen white scabs, and 

 the fungus too, on kelts, both trout and salmon, and on baggits and kippers. 

 The fungus is the aftergrowth of disease. 



Has heard people talk of pollution as a cause, but disagrees with this 

 idea. . , 



Three hundred yards from here is the second coldest spring in England. 

 To-dav its temperature is 48°. In mid-winter it is 45°. 



Keeps 10 to 60 score of minnows, which are sometimes affected with fungus. 

 They never have disease till they are full of ova. Some are now affected. 

 They have all spawned. Attributes it to overcrowding. < 



The ice damming up the streams will engender disease among fish, like 

 men packed in a room -without ventilation. 



Pollution might aggravate disease, but it is not the fons et origo malt. 

 Judges by his minnows. They have it in February and March. He cures them 

 by wiping off the fungus and covering the fish with salt. 



Thinks the disease is a fresh water disease, and kills pretty quickly. *isn 

 might be cured by reaching salt water. 



Early in the century, when 200,000 fish were killed, there could not have been 

 many kelts. The Galashiels and Hawick poachers, and poachers all down the 

 river, used to poach all the kelts. The poachers prevented the river being 

 overcrowded. Now the river is watched so carefully that the fish cannot be 

 poached. . _ 



In 1866 a salmon was brought to him for a wedding breakfast in January. 

 Would commence killing the kelts on the 1st February. Would kill every 

 kelt, because they have fulfilled their mission. 



Kelts will eat smolts. Has seen them do it. Has caught them with 

 smolts inside. Caught three grilse kelts with pike tackle, and they took smolts. 

 Has found kelts with seven smolts inside. 



Heard the evidence given five years ago before the Tweed Special Lom- 

 missioners, when it was stated that if kelts were allowed to be killed baggits 

 would be preserved. Has seen the kelts kill smolts dozens of times, and has 

 seen them with smolts in then- mouths. The digestion is so rapid that they 

 are not found inside long afterwards. Has seen one kelt with all its tood 

 digested except a smolt's tail. 



Would allow a fortnight's longer netting. Other rivers can alter their close 

 times by byelaw. The Tweed should do the same. 



It is the same disease as he has always seen, but aggravated by peculiar 

 circumstances. 



