BEFORE THE HOUSE OF COMMONS. 139 



they proceed ; both assist, and while in the act of 

 depositing the spawn, male gets a hard bill on the 

 under jaw ; decreases after spawning ; spawn gene- 

 rally begin to rise about the beginning of March ; 

 spawn rise from the bed like a crop of oats or a 

 thick bryard of grain, rushing up all round the 

 stones in very great numbers ; the tails come up 

 first ; part of the pea sticks about their heads ; his 

 brother averaged the roe of the salmon at 17,000, 

 gilse at 10,500 ; all the eggs would become fish 

 without an accident ; knows the spirlings, or whit- 

 ings, or pinnocks, thinks they are the same fish ; 

 never see such a fish in Ireland ; abound in the 

 Solway Frith and the Tweed ; are found only in 

 the rivers where they breed ; a few in the Tay ; 

 much like a salmon or trout ; we do not see a sal- 

 mon of that age ; it is only shaped, headed, and 

 tailed like a salmon ; from twelve to fifteen inches 

 long ; some are red, but mostly white ; thinks it is 



NOTES. 



mon : to this I can only oppose the statement which I have 

 already made, and add, that experiments are more satisfac- 

 tory than opinions. If Mr. Little is correct in his opinion, 

 that the male gilse can impregnate the roe of the salmon, 

 the whole fabric of his reasoning falls to the ground ; and 

 they are (contrary to what he says) decidedly one and the 

 same fish ; for it is a well known fact, that no animal in 

 the creation in a state of nature (not under control), 

 except one, will forsake his kind and copulate with animals 

 of a different species : if then the gilse will impregnate the 

 roe of Ihe salmon, they mast be one fsh. 



