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Transactions. 35 
such a run of fish. It was generally supposed that a heavy fresh 
caused a good upward migration. I believe this was in many 
instances the 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? A 
strong westerly wind would cause the tide in our rivers to rise 
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 with 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 when 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 hour 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 hatchery. 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 
