70 THE NATURAL HISTORY AND HABITS 



establishment, to a certain extent, would still be ne- 

 cessary. 



Thirdly. It is essentially necessary to destroy as 

 many of vermin as possible, which prey and feed on 

 both the seed and fry. The first of these, which is a 

 close attendant on the spawning bed, is the water 

 ouzel. They watch the beds with the cunning of a 

 fox, and when the fish fall back in their regular 

 working turn, they dart into the hole in search of 

 any seed that may remain uncovered, which they 

 never fail to pick up and carry off, but as soon as 

 the fish approach the bed, they escape to the nearest 

 stone, where they remain watching the next oppor- 

 tunity of another picking. This they continue day 

 after day during the whole spawning season ; and 

 during that time one ouzel will devour an immense 

 quantity of ova. But these are enemies, although 

 destructive, that with attention are easily got rid of; 

 for as they are neither shy nor easily frightened, they 

 may be shot close to the beds without any difficulty. 

 I have got the river-watchers to kill them at sixpence 

 the head, until they are nearly killed off in the North. 

 It is also necessary to kill cormorants, cranes, gulls, 

 and all such like birds, which are awfully destructive 

 to the fry and smolts, for they prowl about small 

 streams and river mouths, and particularly in pools 

 left by the tide, and actually feed on the fry both 

 small and large. 



Lastly. I may mention the common river trout. 

 Of them we have various kinds, all of which are 

 most determined enemies to the ova, fry, and smolt 

 of the salmon. First, they watch the spawning ope- 

 rations the whole time that process is going on, and 

 their own spawning season being over, or nearly so, 

 before the salmon begins, they are there hungry and 

 ravenous, ready to devour the ova as soon as it is 



