46 The Salmon 
Date of Weight Date of Weight 
Marking. in Ibs. | Recapture. in lbs. 
Feb. 14, 1906 : Sake Aug. 4, 1906 204 
Jan. 16, 1906 : a ars July 25, 1906 24,75 
Jan. 19, 1906 : . 124 | May 18, 1907 235 
March 8, 1905 : i | July 21, 1906 27 
There is not the slightest doubt that the short and the long period in 
the sea are common to all the different runs. I need not, however, 
pursue this matter further, as it would be confusing, for the next run 
of fish would be pretty much the same. I will endeavour, when 
describing the scales, to give more information as to the time these 
fish remain in the sea after having been in the river as clean fish. 
The marking of so many fish in different rivers proves that almost all 
the fish return to their own native river. A few have certainly been 
got a considerable distance from their own river, but it is probable 
that even these would have found their way back to their own river 
had they escaped capture. This, then, is a good guarantee to those 
who have charge of any river, that whatever improvement they make 
is for the benefit of their own river and not for those of other people. 
Since writing the above we have seen the close of the netting 
season of 1907; and from the marking of the smolts and its results 
most valuable information has been obtained respecting the supply 
of salmon in after years. The year 1905 was a good year for smolts ; 
1906 was therefore a good year for grilse; 1907 was a good year for 
small spring fish; from this I expected that 1908 would be a good 
year for large spring fish, and such has been the case. On the other 
hand, 1907 was a bad year for grilse, and I accordingly suspected 
that 1908 would be a bad year for small spring fish; and this year 
1908 being a good grilse season, will also be a good year for small 
spring fish in 1909, and a good year for large spring fishin 1910. This 
will apply both to England and Scotland, and so well do we know this 
now that I can almost tell what proportion of fish will follow in the 
different runs from the number of grilse captured. 
On 5th July 1909 we caught in our nets on the Tay a female fish 
of 264 Ibs. (Fig. 42), one of those marked as a smolt in May 1905. 
