SALMON-FISHERY OF SCOTLAND. 119 



that, after salmon had entered a river at all, they would return 

 before they had reached the place of their destination ? Does 

 he think their " natural instincts" do not begin to operate till 

 they advance a "considerable distance" into the river? At 

 ^uhat distance do their instincts commence to operate ? How 

 DID HE ASCERTAIN THE FACT, or that, after entering a river, they 

 do return to the sea ? Has he made any experiments to that 

 effect ? Did he tie a bladder to a salmon that had entered the 

 Tay, in order to trace his motions under water ? If he had 

 done this, we believe the salmon would have soon led him up 

 the river, au pas de charge, through briars and thorns, till he 

 saw his balloon fairly skimming the surface of Loch Tay ; 



Monsieur 1'Abbe* ou allez vous ? 

 Vous allez vous casser le cou, 

 Vous allez sans chanclelle, &c. 



French Song. 



We have heard of a person who tied a goose to a salmon that 

 was caught a short way within a river, and returned into it ; 

 but, though the salmon often drew the goose under water, he 

 never attempted to return to the sea. That would be contrary 

 to his instincts. Probably it was some experiment of this sort 

 that enabled Johnstone and Halliday to trace the course of the 

 fish returning from the rivers through the expanse of the estu- 

 aries. If a goose was tied to each salmon, what a glorious fleet 

 of geese would be seen sailing down the friths, cackling, into the 

 repositories of the stake-net fishers, who, perched upon their 

 engines, and waving their hats with exultation, would welcome 

 their friends into port. 



The idea that salmon, after having reached their river, return 

 again to the sea, before they have accomplished the objects 

 nature had in view in bringing them there, is equally inconsis- 

 tent with the principles of the migratory system as with common 

 sense. When the migratory tribes of birds reach their destin- 

 ation, they immediately disperse. In like manner, when the 

 salmon reach their rivers, the gregarious instinct which kept 

 them together in the sea being no longer necessary, having per- 

 formed its functions, ceases, and the fish disperse all over the 

 river. Their migratory voyage is then at an end. This may 



