294 LARGE SALMON FROM THE SHANNON. 



what was the age of this fish. I calculate it must have 

 been somewhere between twelve and fifteen years old. I 

 have called this grand fish, " King of Scots." 



" THE SHANNON FISH." 



The fish killed with a fly in the Shannon by Mr. J. 

 L. Phelps, October, 23, 1869, weighed 441bs. (see Land 

 and Water, No. 198), measured 4ft. 2^in. in length, and 

 2ft. 4in. in circumference at the thickest part just above 

 the dorsal fin." This fish was going up the river near 

 spawning time, and his milt was very large, whereas in 

 our seventy-pounder the milt was small. 



It might have been possible that if Mr. Phelps' fish 

 had spawned, gone down to sea, and come up again, he 

 would have approached to the weight of our big Tay 

 fish. I have stated in the Times that this fish probably 

 went down to sea in February, 1868 ; my reasons for 

 this statement are that I do not believe that a kelt of 

 such gigantic frame as this fish must have been, would 

 have had time to recover in condition and lay up, in the 

 time intervening between February, 1869, and June, 

 1870, the enormous store of fat which I found in his body. 

 I do not think that sufficient time is allowed by salmon 

 observers for fish to recover their condition. Kelts hang 

 about in fresh water — at least I know they do in the 

 Spey for weeks and weeks, and will not take the sea 

 water even when there is no obstruction between them 

 and the sea. The physiological conditions of the kelt 

 are so different from that of a fresh-run fish, that I feel 

 convinced the change from the one constitution of the 

 body to the body to the other must require considerable 

 time, and Nature does not work in a hurry. 



* A coloured cast of this fish is now p.bove that of the 

 seventy-pounder. 



