GIANT SALMON FROM THE TAY. 293 



— as our friend from the Tslj. He Lad been caught in 

 the nets of my friend, Mr. Alexander Speedie, the 

 energetic and well-known tacksman, of Perth. Mr. 

 Speedie writes me that his men caught the fish on the 

 Haggis fishing-bank, about two miles below Newbui-g, 

 on the Tay. Wishing to be certain of the weight of 

 this Tay fish, Mr. Charles was good enough to put him 

 in the scales in my presence. He was within an ounce 

 or two of seventy pounds, and he would have turned the 

 scale at this weight, only from exposure on the slab he 

 had become somewhat dry, and therefore lost a little of 

 his weight. I measured him carefully. His total length 

 from tip of nose to edge of tail was 4ft. 5in. ; his girth, 

 2ft. 7iin. ; and length of head, 12in. Eeader, chalk or 

 pencil out these measurements, and you will see what a 

 wonderful fish this was, and he was as handsome as he 

 was bulky. The wholesale price was over ^69. I took up 

 the fish to Albany Street. I soon had him under the 

 plaster, and before dark I got a very fair mould of this 

 king of fishes. I then took him back again to sleep in 

 the ice in Mr. Charles' shop. I did not injure a scale with 

 the casting process, and he tumbled out of his mould 

 like a great bullock. Mr. Charles gave me his head and 

 his inside ; of the head I have made moulds with fins 

 expanded, as it will make a capital "gurgoyle." I have 

 filled up his intestines with plaster ; their total length 

 is 4ft. 3in., his oesophagus and stomach together. His 

 pyloric appendages were covered with fat, and there was 

 also much fat about his intestines— this latter fat alone 

 weighed 3 ounces. There was, of course, nothing in 

 his stomach, as he had all his fat on board for his summer 

 expedition up the river. The greater portion of my big 

 Tay salmon was bought by my friend the eminent salmon 

 angler, M. Bass, Esq., M.P. I have often been asked 



