DECEMBER, 1882. 259 



more accommodating in their habits, than others of 

 higher organization. 



Mankind is steadily developing an extraordinary desire 

 both to eat its cake and have it. Why does the River 

 Awe no longer send shiploads of salmon away, as it used 

 to do in the old days, when a vessel was regularly des- 

 patched to Spain with noble kippers ? This question is 

 continually asked. There is far more conservation, both 

 in the river and outside, and we know what is annually 

 obtained ; and yet the resultant catch approaches not in 

 importance to those "good old times," that were too 

 stupid to know how happy they were. Now, no one can 

 suppose that a salmon hangs about the mouth of its 

 native river until the time for spawning comes round; 

 and the natural question to be asked in this, as in many 

 other instances, is, where is the gauntlet through which 

 they must run on their annual return ? That they go to 

 distant feeding grounds is undoubted, and one proof of 

 this is the mistakes they make in returning homeward. 

 Great shoals of salmon coming inwards from the Atlantic 

 strike the south-eastern portion of Mull, and are there 

 met by the usual preparations for their capture. Those 

 escaping proceed north by Kerrera, where fresh fisheries 

 have been established of recent years, and heavy con- 

 tributions are there paid for permission to pass. In fact, 

 ere they reach the mouth of Loch Etive the shoals have 

 suffered similarly to an East African expedition, and left 

 three-fourths of their number on the danger-lined path. 

 On arriving near Connel they are met by a colony of 

 seals, and another sacrifice has to be offered. About 

 this quarter the salmon of the various rivers must part 

 company the Loch Awe fish entering the turbulent 

 rapids of Connel, while those for the Garry and in- 



