THE FISHERIES. 87 



and we have found the result invariable — viz., that 

 when the whole brood has been carried off to the 

 sea, on a flood, in the month of May, realizing the 

 piscatory proverb — 



*' The first flood in r>Iay, 

 Takes all the fry away," 



the produce, in salmon, of ensuing and correspond- 

 ing years, has been frequently less, and not, as might 

 have been expected, immeasurably more, than in sea- 

 sons when the fry were detained in the river, in com- 

 paratively dry seasons, making their descent gradu- 

 ally, detained and obstructed by mill-dams, and sub- 

 jected, during their tedious passage downwards, to 

 all the ills that fry are heir to. The same observa- 

 tion may be made, with reference to winters, when 

 unusually large numbers of salmon have been known 

 to spawn in rivers, and unusually large numbers of 

 fry have been produced, and yet the produce in 

 grilse or salmon of succeeding years has been very 

 deficient. It will be said, in answer to these per- 

 plexing facts, that we perhaps miscalculate the age 

 and periods of migration, respectively, both of the 

 fry going down, and of the grilse coming up ; and, 

 consequently, miscalculate the periods that would 

 correspond with the descent of the one, and the 

 ascent of the other. We are aware of the argu- 

 ments that can be founded on that objection, but 

 have taken a large margin, and several rivers, for 

 our observation ; and our conviction remains clear, 



