SCOTLAND 117 



progress from pool to pool they have again and again 

 presented to them every possible lure. 11 



Writing in more general terms, Mr. John Michie, 

 M.V.O., His Majesty's Agent at Balmoral, says : 



"It would be risky to state that the number of 

 salmon entering the river has diminished or sport 

 generally deteriorated in recent years; but certain 

 it is that for the last four seasons fish have not run 

 up to the higher reaches, above Ballater, so early as 

 they frequently did in previous years, while there 

 have been more fish in the middle and lower 

 reaches. 



" The cause of this is probably not clear ; but I am 

 inclined to think that the practice of taking spawn 

 from fish in the upper streams, hatching it artifi- 

 cially, and putting the smolts into the river low 

 down, has a tendency in that direction. It ought to 

 be mentioned, however, that some of those artificially 

 reared smolts have been taken up to higher tribu- 

 taries. What proportion of them ever reach the 

 mouth of the river it would be difficult to say, or 

 even to guess at. 



" I am no believer in artificial rearing of young 

 salmon. Spawning fish, in my opinion, should be 

 left undisturbed on the natural spawning beds. 

 There should be no interference beyond careful 

 protection of the fish, and, perhaps, improvement 

 of the beds at some other time than the spawning 

 season. 



" I believe there is very little poaching except, 

 perhaps, the taking of a few fish from spawning 



