STORMONTFIELD EXPERIMENT. 45 



Wilson of Woodville, Edinburgh, Mr Shaw, Mr 

 Ramsbottom, Dr Esdaile, Mr Buist, Mr Walsh, and 

 some other gentlemen who took an interest in the 

 matter, were present. Lord Mansfield was also 

 present, and took a prominent part in the pro- 

 ceedings, and entered very fully into the various 

 discussions that followed on the specimens ex- 

 hibited. 



When the Committee met, a tub, containing a 

 dozen or two of fry, which the fishermen had got 

 in the river, was shown, for comparison with 

 those in the pond; these fish were pronounced 

 smoults by the fishermen, and Mr Shaw, who 

 was provided with a small net, cast it into the 

 pond, and brought out a number of fry of all 

 sizes, which were put into another vessel. 



The fry, on being compared, were very much 

 alike in size and colour, only the pond ones were 

 fatter, and Mr Shaw pronounced them (both river 

 and pond) all one-year parr. In the meanwhile, 

 Dr Esdaile caught a larger specimen with the 

 rod in the Tay, which Mr Shaw at once said was 

 a smoult on its way to the sea. Here was now 

 the means of comparing the pond fish with the 

 acknowledged real smoult, and settling the ques- 

 tion. This last caught specimen was certainly 



