SALMON-FISHERY OF SCOTLAND. 39 



which enters a river early, must have left his migratory abode 

 at an earlier period than the fish of late rivers and must, there- 

 fore, according to their doctrine, have had a foreknowledge of 

 the quality of the water that would please him, and where it 

 was to be found. The truth is, that some rivers are so consti- 

 tuted by nature as to produce early fish, while other rivers 

 produce late fish, just as some rivers produce large fish and 

 others small fish ; and the instincts of the fish are regulated 

 accordingly the salmon of each river leaving its migratory 

 abode, and proceeding to the river to which it belongs, at the 

 period the instincts implanted in it for that purpose begin to 

 operate, the principle of perfection, visible in all the works of 

 nature, being traceable to the minutest parts of the whole 

 system. Some rivers produce both early and late fish ; be- 

 cause some of their tributary streams possess an early, and 

 some a late, breed of fish all of which must pass up the main 

 or common channel. 



The Eev. Dr Fleming is asked in the Committee, 



" How do you account for salmon entering rivers early, when they 

 don't spawn till late in the season 1 " * " It is a question of ex- 

 tremely difficult solution. Salmon seem to require a residence of a 

 few months in rivers previous to spawning ; but as they are known 

 to enter rivers, four, five, or six months before spawning, it seems to 

 me extremely difficult to account for such apparently premature mi- 

 gration, unless we take into account that migration of salmon into 

 rivers is a natural instinct of the species, and that, in certain cir- 

 cumstances, this instinct may prematurely exercise its function." 



Science is, undoubtedly, a fine thing ; it is a pity it should 

 be sometimes so nearly allied, by any of its professors, to non- 

 sense. The answer of the Doctor, we conceive, to be a very 

 singular one. We do not pretend to understand the migration 

 of an animal into its native element ; and, to use the Doctor's 

 own words, we find it extremely difficult to believe, that know- 

 ing, as he unquestionably does, how perfect the instincts of all 

 animals are, and how rarely deviations from those instincts 



* The Committee might have just as well asked the Doctor how he accounts 

 for woodcocks visiting this country ; and he would no doubt have given an 

 equally scientific answer. 



