52 THE LIFE OF THE SALMON 



certain localities shows that grilse continue to run 

 with the latest of the spawning salmon. In the Tay 

 in 1902 and 1903 we carried on winter netting at 

 Almondmouth, a short distance above Perth, where 

 a very fair sample is to be obtained of the stock of 

 fish in the lower river. In November we netted for 

 three days in each year, and found a pretty even 

 balance : — 



207 196 



The fish enumerated are unspawned, spawning, and 

 spent. We caught in addition several clean run 

 salmon. At a higher part of the river, less suitable 

 for the finding of spawning fish, we had only eleven 

 grilse (all unspawned) and fifty-one unspawned and 

 spent salmon. I am unable to give figures worthy 

 of mention respecting the stock of fish in the upper 

 Tay, but in all probability the salmon considerably 

 outnumber the grilse, on account of the large number 

 of spring fish which ascend this well-stocked river. 

 Of no river of any size can it be said that it practi- 

 cally holds nothing but grilse, nor are the grilse in 

 any river with which I am acquainted in this country 

 in the proportion of seven grilse to one salmon, as 

 was the case on the Caithness coast in 1904. Willis 

 Bund refers to the small proportion of grilse in our 

 rivers, and adds that " the number of grilse, so far 

 as one can see, that spawn are below the proper 

 proportion." The same writer shows (" Salmon 

 Problems ") that it is impossible to show any clear 



