170 APPENDIX, 



time their roe has been gradually progressing in size ; so 

 that in May it may be called half-grown, at the same time 

 that the roe of the grilse is so small as to be scarcely percept- 

 ible. As, however, the two fish spawn at the same time, it 

 follows, as a natural conclusion, that the roe in the grilse re- 

 quires only half the time which that of the salmon requires to 

 bring it to maturity ; which shows a decided dissimilarity in 

 their organisation. 



M. We have not yet said a word about grilse ; where are 

 they all this time ? 



H. The instinct of the grilse leads them, in May, to per- 

 form their annual migrations on their way to the rivers, as at 

 this time of the year the salmon-fishing in all quarters is vir- 

 tually at an end, their season having gone by, and grilse 

 taken their place, though they are not seen in large numbers 

 until June and July, with but comparatively few salmon inter- 

 mixed with them. Hence it is a common remark amongst 

 fishermen, that though the salmon-fishery may be bad, still 

 the grilse-fishery may be productive, each fishery varying in 

 quantity to correspond with the favourable or unfavourable 

 season in which they were spawned, clearly showing two dis- 

 tinct fisheries and nature of fish. 



M. Is that your only reason for supposing that grilse do 

 not grow to be salmon ? 



H. No. Some people suppose that the smolts of a few 

 inches in length, that go down to the sea in March, return 

 again to the rivers in May, after an absence of only two 

 months, as grilse of an ordinary size, from four to seven pounds' 

 weight. But my belief is, that when the smolts that required 

 twelve months to arrive at the size of from four to five inches 

 in length, and apparently in good condition, as their appear- 

 ance is round and plump, will necessarily require a longer 

 time than two months to arrive at the size of from four to seven 

 pounds' weight, notwithstanding the virtue in salt water. But 

 the absurdity of the theory consists in the assertion that the 

 smolts of salmon, going down to the sea in company with the 

 smolts of grilse, also return from the sea under the denomina- 

 tion of grilse, thus dispossessing the sea entirely of a crop of 



