Transactions. 35 



such a run of tisli. It was generally supposed that a heavy fresh 

 caused a good upward migration. I believe this was in many 

 instances tlie case, but there were exceptions to the rule. Some- 

 times a heavy spate occurred without any fish running. I 

 believe I am right in saying that the bulk of the salmon entering 

 our rivers only run on spring tides, and on those tides preceding 

 the highest spring, more than on the two or three tides after the 

 highest spring. And if a strong westerly breeze accompanied the 

 spring tide on our west-coast rivers, more fish came up than when 

 there was no wind at all ; and with an easterly breeze fewer 

 would come up. Now, what effect had the wind on the tide 1 A 

 strong westerly wind would cause the tide in our rivers to I'ise 

 higher, to flow longer, and to remain high longer ; and if the fish 

 ran, as they were supposed to do, on the top of the tide as it 

 were, a westerly wind, causing the tide to flow even half-an-hour 

 longer, would give a chance for far more fish to get up than if it 

 had stopped at the ordinary time. It was supposed generally 

 that salmon only ran witli the flood, that if they found the tide 

 ebbing they turned back to the sea and ran up with the next 

 tide. The larger run of fish was therefore accounted for by the 

 longer time they had to run. More fish came up from neap to 

 spring than when the tides are falling off, from spring to neap ; 

 and during that time the only tides upon which fish would run 

 to any extent were those just after the highest spring. Should a 

 land spate occur at the same time, a good run of fish may be 

 looked for, especially if it were accompanied by a west or south- 

 west wind. In many instances a land spate was almost necessary 

 now in our rivers to enable the fish to get over the pollutions and 

 the obstacles which they meet with in their ascent. It has been 

 said sometimes that fish could smell the rain, and certainly they 

 often apparently know wlien it is coming. I believe they will 

 often run up a river anticipating a spate. I have noticed that 

 fish in a pond will sometimes get very restless and run up the 

 race-ways, and in an liour or two down came the rain. It was 

 most important to get reports from streams which were in a state 

 of nature — unpolluted and unmolested as far as possible. Such, 

 for three miles of its course at least, is the stream (the Newabbey 

 Pow) which passes near my liatchery. It is frequented by very 

 few fish, fewer, I think, than in former years. I have made the 

 acquaintance, I believe, of nearly every salmon that passed up 

 that stream for about a month. As a rule, I find that they do 



