FISHES OF THE DISTRICT 173 



the one applies to the other. They run from four 



to the pound up to f Ib. and I Ib. in weight. The 

 males contain milt, the females ova. 



THE SMELT OR SPARLING (Osincms epcrlanus] 



The smelt or sparling is an abundant fish in the 

 estuaries of many of our rivers. Except for a brief 

 period of existence in the sea they spawn and get 

 their food in brackish water. This is a bright 

 looking fish, and is said to be redolent of cucumber 

 by some, of green rushes by others. Certain it is 

 the odour is a pleasant and refreshing one. The 

 sparling fisheries are much less important now 

 than formerly, The principal fishery in the district 

 is in the Leven and Duddon estuary. Mr. S. Hart 

 Jackson gave Buckland the information that the 

 sparling came into the bay in the early autumn, 

 following the way of the salmon ; that they were 

 heavy with spawn in February ; that spawning 

 commenced about the middle of March and was 

 completed by the middle of April. Yarrell states 

 that Col. Meynell, of Yarm, kept smelts for four 

 years in a freshwater pond having no communica- 

 tion with the sea, where they continued to thrive 

 and propagated abundantly. When the pond was 

 drawn, the fishermen of the Tees considered that 

 they had never seen a finer lot of smelts, there 

 being no loss of flavour or quality. 



