RESULTS OF SALMON MARKING 67 



In sixty-nine Scottish and forty-eight Irish re- 

 turns of kelts recaptured as clean fish in fresh water 

 we have therefore in Scotland practically twice as 

 many long period fish as short period fish, while in 

 Ireland we have fully twice as many short period 

 fish as long period fish — two somewhat opposite con- 

 ditions at first sight. The Irish kelt weights are on 

 an average considerably less than the weights of the 

 Scottish fish, this being largely owing to the heavy 

 Tay kelts in Scotland, but any idea as to there being 

 a difference in habit amongst light and presumably 

 younger fish seems dissipated by the middle group 

 of Scottish returns, where in 1902 and 1903 we 

 have out of a total of fourteen recaptures seven short 

 and seven long period fish. This only exemplifies 

 what has already been said as to weight of fish in 

 particular localities being no guide for comparison. 

 The interesting point to notice, however, is that 

 while in the first group of Scottish and Irish fish 

 there is an insignificant appearance of long period 

 fish in Ireland, there is in the 1903-1905 group a 

 marked increase in the proportion of these fish, and 

 that similarly the proportion of long period fish in 

 Scotland greatly increases at the same time, there 

 being in fact an entire absence of short period fish 

 in this group. In other words, it would appear 

 that in the years 1903, 1904, and 1905 there has 

 been some influence at work which has apparently 

 induced a larger proportion of fish, both in Scotland 

 and Ireland, to remain in the sea till the end of the 

 season's netting. The short absence is still the 

 most common in Ireland, but the proportion of long 



