THE LADDER 61 



a very natural appearance, a point of some 

 importance. Certainly fish do not seem to 

 have any trouble in discovering it, or to be 

 afraid of the confined stream in which they 

 find themselves ; and we have occasionally killed 

 fresh-run fish in the river above, which must 

 have come straight through from the fjord with 

 very little delay. 



In most years single fish begin to run up the 

 ladder early in June, but there is as a rule no 

 great run until towards the end of the month, 

 and sometimes it does not occur until July. 

 Such a run generally takes place when the river 

 is rising after rain, the temperature of the water 

 being also higher. But this rule is not invari- 

 able. I have not yet been able to discover any 

 law in obedience to which thousands of fish 

 suddenly take it into their heads to run up. 



Below is a list extracted from my Diary of 

 the earliest dates on which fish have been seen 

 in the ladder, and those on which there was 

 any considerable run of fish : 



1898. (No record of the first fish seen, but fish were 



certainly in the ladder before June 14.) 

 July 5. A large number going up. 

 1899- June 11. A fish. 



