DECAY OP SALMON. 105 



conclusion that a great decay had taken place in the 

 work of populating the waters. On the Grilse figures as 

 they stand, we here only make one further remark, that 

 the decrease during the last ten years of the period was 

 not merely evidence of the rapid exhaustion of the crop, 

 but a pretty clear indication of the average duration of 

 salmon life having been greatly reduced by an increase 

 in the efficiency or severity of the fishing. 



The Trout column, though affected by different 

 causes, bears on the surface a considerable resem- 

 blance to that of Grilse, inasmuch as it shows an 

 increase up to about 1845, and a rapid decline through- 

 out the ten years following. It is curious to observe, 

 that while, at the period with which the Table com- 

 mences, the number of Salmon exceeded that of Trouts 

 by a fourth, we find, on coming to the period of 

 1841-45, that by the twofold operation of the Salmon 

 having diminished by more than a half, and the Trout 

 having more than doubled, the position of the two 

 sorts was more than reversed, the trouts outnumber- 

 ing the salmon as four to one. This increase in trouts 

 has, with much appearance of reason, been ascribed in 

 great part to the fact that standing-nets upon the sea- 

 shore take a comparatively small proportion of trouts, 

 owing to the marine habits of that fish differing some- 

 what from that of the salmon and grilse, a point with 

 which we shall deal more particularly when we come to 

 speak of fixed engines. This fact may in great part 

 account for the capture of trouts having increased 

 during a large portion of the period in which the salmon, 

 peculiarly the victims of the sea-shore fixed nets, were 



