OF THE SALMON. 3 



to stand in forbidden time, under the same paine ; 

 and the hecks of said cruives be three inches apart, 

 the same as the Act made by King David." 



We have here laws made that clearly show the 

 wisdom of our forefathers ; for although they were ig- 

 norant of many of the habits of the young fish, such 

 as the length of time required for hatching, the time 

 the fry remain in the rivers before their first depar- 

 ture to the sea, and the time between the smolts going 

 down and their returning grilses, yet for all that, 

 they knew perfectly that salmon required to get to 

 the rivers for the purpose of spawning, that the fry 

 was bred in rivers, and that they needed free access 

 to the sea, and they provided accordingly. We see a 

 provision made against killing the smolts in the 

 smolt season, but their ideas of that time were more 

 imperfect than it is now ; for they thought that the 

 smlots all left the rivers with the first floods in May. 

 However, now, with far more extended knowledge of 

 their habits, we have no such provision ; at all events, 

 the law we have against smolt killing is never put in 

 force. In these days, the lieutenants, sheriffs, and, in 

 short, all government officials, were instructed to see 

 all Acts of the Legislature put in force ; but now we 

 may go from river to river, and from stream to stream, 

 over the length and breadth of this kingdom, and see 

 multitudes of men and boys who make it their regular 

 employment day after day to kill them in thousands, 

 and that with impunity and undisturbed, unless 

 some poor tenant of fishings may ineffectually try to 

 drive them away, which he finds a mere impossibility. 

 We also see here, that fixtures in waters where 

 the tide flows and ebbs are ordered to be removed, 

 and destroyed for evermore. How unlike the present 

 time ; for now the waters where the sea flows and 

 ebbs are complete wicker-works, nothing to be seen 

 B 2 



