SCOTLAND 121 



and salmon, like crabb'd age and youth, cannot live 

 together. Mr. Henry Goschen writes : 



"While the Deveron still maintains its high 

 reputation for trout, the removal of the cribs near 

 the mouth does not seem to have improved the 

 salmon fishing in the measure expected. Only a few 

 fresh fish are caught in the spring, although kelts 

 are so plentiful as to be a nuisance when you are 

 trout fishing in April or in May. Some salmon are 

 taken in the autumn ; but it would seem that there 

 is truth in the notion that a river cannot be good 

 for salmon and for trout at the same time. It has 

 been said that in years past, when trout fishing was 

 practically free, there were many salmon ; but, now 

 that trout fishing is strictly preserved, it may be 

 that the number of large trout has much increased, 

 and that there is a consequent increase in destruc- 

 tion of salmon spawn." 



The UGIE, in Aberdeenshire, does not show any 

 serious symptoms. Writing in behalf of Colonel 

 Ferguson of Pitfour, who was abroad, Mr. William 

 Ainslie gave a cheerful account. " There appears,"" 

 he said, " to be a slight falling-off. Perhaps that is 

 due to the fish on the coast having been less plenti- 

 ful than usual. Besides, for two years the river 

 has been low during the angling season. There has, 

 however, not been any falling-off in sport. We had 

 a specially brisk 'finnock 1 season, and there was a 

 very good run of sea-trout in the autumn. Smolts 

 in large numbers have gone seawards every spring 

 for three years. The river is entirely free from 



