CHAP. V.J MARKED FISH. 197 



still further verifying the rate of salmon growth was lost. A 

 reward offered by Mr. Buist of 2s. per pound weight for each 

 grilse that might be brought to his office, led to an imitation of 

 the mark and the perpetration of several petty frauds in order to 

 get the money. The mark was frequently imitated, and one or 

 two fish were brought to Mr. Buist which almost deceived him 

 into the belief of their being some of the real marked fish. As Mr. 

 Buist says "So cunningly had this deception been gone about, 

 that a casual observer might have been deceived. When the fin 

 was cut off the recent wound was far too palpable ; and to hide 

 this the man cut a piece of skin from another fish and fixed it 

 upon the wounded part. I examined this fish, which was lying 

 alongside of an undoubted pond-marked fish, which had the 

 skin and scales grown over the cut, and I am satisfied that it 

 would be impossible to imitate the true mark by any process 

 except by marking the fish while young." * Peter Marshall 

 and also Mr. Buist agree with me in saying that the number 

 of fish taken, each being minus the dead fin, was a sufficient 

 proof that these fish were really the pond-bred ones returned 

 as grilse. It is impossible that twenty or thirty grilse could 

 have all been accidentally maimed within a few weeks, and 



* In a very old number of the Scots Magazine I find the following: 

 "I was told by a gentleman who was present at a boat's fishing on 

 Spey near Gordon Castle in the month of April, that in hauling, the 

 weight of the net brought out a great number of smouts which the 

 tishers were not willing to part with ; but that a gentleman, who knew 

 the natural propensity of the salmon to return to their native river, 

 persuaded them to slip them back again into the water, assuring them 

 that in two months they would catch most of them full-grown grilses, 

 which would be of much greater value. He at the same time laid a 

 bet of five guineas with another gentleman present, who was somewhat 

 dubious, that he should not fail in his prediction. The fishers agreed. 

 He accordingly dipt off a part of the tail-fins from a number of them 

 before hi; dropped them into the river ; and within the time limited 

 tin- tislicrs actually caught upwards of a hundred grilses thus marked, 

 :iml soon after many more." 



