ME. COOPER'S EXPERIMENT AT BALLISODARE. 261 



" ' 1858. January 5. Saw a few spawning-beds in 

 Owenmore. 



" ' January 9. In Eiver Arrow and tributaries found 

 twenty-nine salmon redds. 



" 'February 14. Walked the Kilmorgan Eiver (a tribu- 

 tary to the Arrow), and counted twenty-one redds/ 



"In the early part of this year, 1858, we seldom fished. 

 In the month of February we took five fish ; in March 

 three ; in April two : in May ten ; in June thirty-nine. 

 We did not, in fact, begin to fish regularly till the 1st 

 July. During this month we took 868 salmon, and up to 

 the 20th August (the close of our season) 530 more — the 

 year's take averaging very little more than 41bs. each. Mr. 

 Culbertson's notes on this year are : ' Spring-fish showing 

 in February. One of 91bs., taken in the net, was a fry 

 marked by Brown in 1856. In March got another about 

 the same weight. Only a few fish through this month. 

 Fry coming down in April, and more plentiful in May : 

 but I do not think so many in the river as last year. On 

 13th May saw nearly one hundred jumps from six to eight 

 o'clock in the evening; they were from 81bs. to 121bs. 

 weight. On 9th June saw first grilse at lower fall ; about 

 the end of the month they were very plentiful. Among the 

 fish taken by the nets on 6th July, seven were fry marked 

 by me last year, and they weighed 5|lbs. to 61bs. each.' 



" Since the end of the close-season, many reports have 

 been sent me relative to the numbers running up. From 

 my inspector's book I take the following : ' Aug. 28. 

 At Ballisodare numbers of salmon in every part of the 

 river between bridge and lowest fall. Sept. 1. Collooney 



