'86 THE OGMORE. 



ment of the spawning season, at the latter end of 

 September, until January, parties are engaged every 

 moonless night in spearing salmon by torchlight, 

 . whilst roaming upon the shallow, gravelly streams 

 in search of a suitable spot for depositing their 

 ova. On such situations they congregate to the 

 number of twenty or thirty in a shoal, rooting up 

 the bed of the river like hogs. The poachers, 

 aware of their favourite haunts, assemble about 

 midnight; and having kindled a small bundle of 

 straw, by means of a tinder-box^ one of the party 

 holds the light over the water, being closely fol- 

 lowed by the spearman, armed with a heavy tri- 

 dent, and behind walks a third person, carrying on 

 his back a large supply of fuel, as, in windy nights, 

 especially, the straw is rapidly consumed. The 

 instant that the surface of the stream becomes 

 illumined by the torch which renders every ob- 

 ject, even the smallest portion of gravel, distinctly 

 visible, the whole shoal of salmon dart towards the 

 light, and the spearman, instantly selecting the 

 largest fish, hurls his weapon with unerring aim, 

 and, if an old hand, never fails of transfixing his 

 scaly prey. He then immediately throws the fish 

 upon the bank, and, quickly disengaging the spear 

 with his foot, stands ready to repeat the blow. It 

 frequently happens that, if he strike a large fish, 

 the poacher is compelled to leap into the stream ; 

 for the salmon proves exceedingly strong in his 

 element. These depredators proceed, in a similar 

 manner, from station to station, until the approach 



