OF A SALMON. 67 



the open river, on the flood-gate of the sluice 

 which admits the water to the water-wheel of the 

 'picturesque old mill at our back; the weir is 

 before us, stretching in an irregular segment of 

 a circle right across the bed of the river, and 

 terminating under the precipitous scaur on the 

 opposite side. You see the whole body of water 

 falls over the weir in a continued foaming 

 cataract; there is not a break in it; not a single 

 run of more quiet water, through which a fish 

 by vigorous effort might force his way. Jump 

 it they must, and jump the whole distance, or 

 fall short to be hurried back into the pool below. 

 Look at them jumping now ! those dark weasel- 

 like objects every moment springing out of the 

 white foam, and again falling into it unavailingly. 

 Those are all morts, or young salmon from half 

 a pound to two pounds weight. You may stand 

 by that weir, as we have done, with watch in 

 hand and count something like a hundred leaps in 

 every five minutes ; and as these fish are much 

 exhausted by the violent effort, as well, perhaps, 

 as by the fall back again, it has been calculated 

 that the same fish does not leap again for some 

 minutes ; so that what we see in the five minutes 

 are all different fish. 



There is only one way by which these small 

 fish can succeed in ascending, which is when the 



K 



