NOTE. 185 



/proved that they continue to reside in the fresh waters for a year 

 or more, then protection seems to me impossible. 



" Whilst experimenting on the salmon from 1830 to 1833,, and 

 subsequently, 1 could not fail to observe that soon after (in from 

 three weeks to a month) the escape of the young salmon from 

 below the gravel, the streams everywhere abounded with silvery, 

 shining, well-fed smolts, which were not there before. This generally 

 happened from three weeks to a month after the fry had left their 

 gravelly bed. On considering whence these smolts might come, I 

 was in some measure forced against my own belief to come to the 

 conclusion that they sprung from the ova of the salmon deposited 

 tn the November of tJte preceding year. This opinion (for it is merely 

 one) was not based, it is true, on a continued^ series of observation / 

 this deficiency I felt, and was as much alive to as any man living ; 

 but the difficulty was not to be overcome but by creating another, 

 namely, by restraining the young fish in artificial waters, and thus 

 interfering with the growth of the sniolt at a time when nature 

 required it to be in full possession of its natural food and native 

 streams. 



"This, then, is the objection I make to] the experiments made 

 at Dramlanrig, on the Shin and elsewhere. By such experiments, 

 the free action of the smolt is retained ; they retard the growth ; 

 they interfere with its natural development. As if in proof of the 

 correctness of my opinion on this point, the experiments made at 

 Drumlanrig give two years for the residence of the young of the 

 salmon in the rivers prior to its becoming a smolt properly so 

 called; those made on the Shin give only one year ; and I should 

 not be surprised at some future experiments showing that three 

 years was in reality the period. What conclusion can you draw 

 from such experiments, saving this : that by interfering with the 

 habitat and feeding of the young salmon, you only retard the 

 -development into the true smolt for a year or more ? 



" Foreseeing the objections that would be made to my opinion, 

 namely, the "absence of a continuity in the observation," I 

 naturally bethought me of every mode of obviating it. This was 

 long before the Drumlanrig or Shin experiments were made ^ or 

 even thought of. The more obvious way to remove the objection 

 was, the simple one, namely to grow live smolt from the eggs, 

 and retain them in a pond under your own eyes until they became 

 smolts. This profound and original thought, 1 am bound to say, 

 occurred to me simultaneously with some herd boys who tended 

 their flocks on the banks of the Whitadder. I am willing to yield 

 the honour to them. 



" It will naturally be asked what induced me to adopt, ^ and to 

 maintain, until refuted by qualified men, my first opinion? I 

 shall tell y9u. I was aware that before assuming the silvery smolt 

 dress, or in plain terms, before undergoing his latest metamor- 

 phosis in the river, prior to proceeding to the ocean, the young" 

 salmon is with difficulty to be recognized from the young of others 



