BEFORE THE HOUSE OF COMMONS. 125 



time should commence on the 10th of September, 

 and end on the 1st of February; many unwhole- 

 some fish are caught in September, full of spawn ; 

 salmon are at their best about Midsummer ; fall off 

 afterwards ; a whole family died in consequence of 

 eating unwholesome salmon ; they begin to leave 

 the sea about August ; the same close time should 

 apply to all rivers; angling very destructive to 

 fry in April and May ; repeats that the close time 

 should apply to all rivers ; no fishing should be later 

 than the 10th of September ; thinks that all salmon 

 return to the same rivers where bred ; thinks there 

 are different species of salmon ; all fish come into 

 the rivers if they can ; poachers by the sides of 

 rivers should be arrested in close time. 



Examined again. — No artificial works or manu- 

 factories on the Tweed that prevent the passage of 

 the salmon ; some mill-sluices in the small rivers ; 

 without a new law the fisheries on the Tweed will 

 not pay the expenses of fishing ; angling should be 

 prevented, because if the fry are killed there can 

 be no salmon ; foul fish are more greedy after the 

 fly than new fish ; spearing much practised high 

 up the Tweed in close time ; a fish of a pound will 

 go through the net ; it will take one of a pound and 

 a half; stake-nets destroy the fisheries ; the mesh 

 of the nets two inches and a half; does not think 

 the cruive any injury to the free passage of the 

 fish, or that its removal would allow more fish to 

 go up the river. 



