THE SALMON 17 



being shallow, Crerar fired at and killed him : he 

 was a male of course, and weighed thirty-two 

 pounds. This occurred in June, 1799. 



When the female has done spawning, she sets 

 off, and leaves the place. The male remains 

 waiting for another female ; and if none comes in 

 twenty -four hours, he goes away in search of 

 another spawning place. In the spawning beds on 

 the Tweed, great injury is done with the leister, 

 and rake hooks ; and the fishermen, who know how 

 to profit by their cruel slaughter, are in the habit 

 of spearing the male which first comes to the female, 

 leaving the latter as a decoy fish, and killing the 

 other males in succession as they arrive to consort 

 with her. By this barbarous and poaching practice 

 all the largest spawning fish are destroyed, to the 

 great destruction of the river. These foul salmon 

 are bad and unwholesome food, and used to be sold 

 by the fishermen for about hah a crown the stone, 

 Dutch weight : they were afterwards salted. 

 Trifling as this price is, the fishermen in the upper 

 parts of the Tweed formerly made up the chief part 

 of their rent in this manner ; for there is no law 

 against killing foul fish, except in close time. 



I have now given a brief account of the salmon, 

 from his first entry into fresh water till he has 

 spawned. It remains only to trace him back to 

 the sea. 



When the spawning is finished, the fish become 

 very lank and weak, and fall into deep easy water, 

 where they have not to contend with the current : 

 here, after a time, their strength is recruited, when, 

 as the spring advances, the strongest fish leave 



