138 SALMON-FISHERY OF SCOTLAND. 



of Nature, a succession of clean fish from one river or other 

 during the whole year. Mr Sheppard states in the Committee, 

 that the rivers Carragh, Lee, Bush, Newport, Bunderouse, and 

 others, produce their new fish in November, December, and 

 January, and decline towards April, giving few fish after that 

 period ; while the late rivers, such as the great Baillisharmon 

 Eiver, the Earne, &c., do not begin to give fish till then ; and 

 Mr Little states that, in the Foyle, scarcely any are got till 

 June ; while, in the Shannon, the fishery, he says, is nearly 

 over by the middle of May. In the Scotch rivers it is exactly 

 the same. In the pamphlet published lately by Mr Eraser of 

 Dochnalurg, to which we have already alluded, it is said that a 

 greater weight of salmon used to be taken in the Ness previous 

 to the 1st of February that is, during the time none are at 

 present permitted to be caught there than during all the rest 

 of the season. In the rivers Thurso, Shinn, and others, the 

 salmon begin to enter in November, and the fishery almost 

 ceases in April : in the Linshadder more salmon have, previous 

 to the late Act, been caught in November, than during any 

 other three months in the year ; while, in an adjacent river, 

 few make their appearance till May. In other rivers, such as 

 the Spey, there are, as we formerly mentioned, both early and 

 late fish, because some of their branches, or tributary streams, 

 produce the one, and some the other, all of which go up the 

 common channel. In the early rivers the fish accordingly go 

 out of season, or become foul much sooner than in the late 

 rivers. In many early rivers they are unfit to be taken after 

 the end of July or the middle of August ; while, in some late 

 rivers they continue, as we said, good till after the middle of 

 October. Mr Little states that the fish of the Dee are nearly 

 a month earlier than those of the Nith, and are in bad condi- 

 tion nearly a month sooner ; the close-time, therefore, says he, 

 ought to be different in different rivers. Mr Buist states that 

 the Tay fish fall greatly off in August, while those of the Esk 

 continue good till the middle of October ; and Mr Leach ob- 

 serves that, in the river Camel, the fish are in the best condition 

 in October and November. All the most intelligent witnesses 

 accordingly recommend a close-time suited to each river, which 



