CULTIVATED RIVERS. 77 



This advice is based upon my own experience of 

 . what I have seen,, and I have no doubt it could be 

 confirmed by others similarly situated as to the vast 

 number of eggs naturally deposited, and the innu- 

 merable shoals of fry produced, and of the smolts 

 that migrate annually to the sea, if only the fish 

 were allowed to ascend to their spawning beds and 

 protected in the breeding season, over this vastly 

 increased area. 



It is well known that one salmon caught in March 

 is equal in value to three similar fish caught in July 

 for the market. I consider it is desirable to open the 

 fishing season early, thereby to catch those in the 

 finest condition, and to close the season early, thereby 

 to allow a greater number of breeding fish to escape 

 when they are of the least value. 



I think it is very certain (as the experiments at 

 Perth have proved) that all the fry do not migrate to 

 the sea at fifteen months of age, but that some re- 

 main in the river or in the ponds to the second year, 

 and that some of the salmon remain in the sea for 

 two years, and do not return to the river to spawn 

 every year. I believe that all the salmon we catch 

 for the first two months every spring are fish that 

 could not have spawned the previous December, and 

 although they go up to the rivers and lakes in Feb- 

 ruary and March, yet they will not spawn until the 

 ensuing November and December. Yet we have no 

 proof that these fish continue only to spawn once in 

 two years. Mr. John Miller says that he has seen 

 500 to 1,000 salmon caught on the north Esk river 

 in the first week in February, and that hundreds of 

 similar fish are also caught in the Tay and the 

 Shannon that had not spawned the previous Decem- 

 ber, and that will not spawn until the next 

 December. 



These we may consider to be some of the inscruta- 



