21 



remarked in a famous trial), be surprised to hear that the whiting has 

 been cauglit in the lower part of the estuary of Tay with no less than 

 300 impregnated ova in its stomach ? But such is the case. The whiting, 

 therefore, with as much justice, should be proscribed as well as the 

 birds. But you will ask, " How was this T' It is not difficult to 

 explain. During spawning time, what with the numbers of male tish 

 on the beds, the fighting and routing up of newly deposited spawn that 

 goes on from overcrowding, the washing away of it by floods, the 

 .scouring of the beds by ice, and consequent disturbance of the ova, 

 which, if not devoured by pike and trout, ever on the watch for it, 

 finally finds its way down to the sea, where it becomes the prey of both 

 sea fish and sea bird ; but these ova Avere lost to all chance of ever 

 coming to maturity long before it ever reached them. But it is said 

 the fish are getting scarcer. Is this, however, really the fact ? I do 

 not dispute the comparatively feAV salmon or grilse which noAv ascend 

 our rivers during the fishing season, especially in the months of May 

 and June, and even at the back end, to former times ; not because there 

 are fewer of them from destruction l)y birds, but because within the 

 last few years, from sheep-farm draining in all the bogs and marshy 

 spots on the higher hills, which acted like so many sponges, the whole 

 character of the river has become changed ; for after the disappearance 

 of snow, instead of the water being emitted gradually, giving a steady 

 rise and fall during the June or July and August rains, keeping the 

 river up for two or three weeks together, with fish running the whole 

 time, we have now a three days' rush of turbid water, when not a fin will 

 stir, and in the next few days a corresponding sudden fall, reducing the 

 river to as low a state as ever, which, with the additional drawback of 

 pollution— saw-mills, potato-miUs, paper-mills, bleach-works, dye-Avorks, 

 seAverage, all uniting in one common result of absolute poison, render 

 the bottom one foetid and foul mass of corruption, not only preventing 

 the fish lying, but effectually stopping any nm of fish Avhen the Avatcr 

 is low ; and consequently, in a dry season such as the last, the fish are 

 kept back so late as to cause the most serious loss to the Tacks- 

 man. The fish not getting up till after the season is over, as was 

 the case this year, and even then, as was reported, requiring two or three 

 rises of water, from its running out so rapidly, before the fish conld 

 reach their ground — I believe to be one of the great and cliief causes 

 of detriment to the fisheries, and not the birds. This destruction of 

 our salmon rivers by pollution is no overdraAvn picture. Look at the 

 Clyde. What is it noAv 1 A seething mass ; once one of the most 

 beautiful salmon rivers in Scotland, and if Ave do not take care Ave 

 shall have the same one day applying to the Tay. To say that there 



