44 THE FISHERIES. 



tory passage for salmon in the sluice itself, or in one 

 of the flood or waste-gates of the weir. Nevertheless, 

 by far the most effectual pass can be so constructed. 

 The best constructed weirs, whether fishing weirs or 

 mill-weirs, are always the most difficult for salmon 

 to ascend ; and these have usually supernumerary 

 sluices, or flood-gates in the corpus of the weir itself, 

 some of which are seldom, if ever, opened for any 

 purpose of the mill. We could point to some weirs 

 where some one of several large flood-gates has not 

 been once opened for many years ; we know others 

 where mill- owners have closed up with masonry one 

 or two of such waste-gates, as being wholly super- 

 numerary. Take any such cases (and they are nu- 

 merous) and a pass can be constructed which would 

 pre-eminently accomphsh the intended purpose. Let 

 an inclined plane be built in the interior of the sluice 

 itself, or waste-gate selected for the pasage, finishing 

 at a level of a foot or eio;hteen inches below the level 

 of the crest of the weir ; the existing sluice-gate will 

 close down upon this. Here, then, is a pass ready 

 made, most effectual for every purpose, and attain- 

 able at a small expense. We declare categorically 

 that the salmon will wag their very tails with joy 

 when they perceive a sluice or flood-gate slightly 

 altered in this way, inviting them, as it were, to pass 

 up stream. 



We shall now say a word about the expense of 

 these constructions. In all the above plans the ex- 

 pense will be moderate, and the work suggested be- 



