76 NATURAL HISTORY OF THE SALMON. 



year's mark was caught at the North Inch station. 

 Mr Speedy, tacksman, who has all along shown 

 much interest in the experiment, and is therefore 

 an exception to most of the other tacksmen, 

 apprised Mr Buist of the circumstance, who was 

 so kind as send us notice of its capture. In 

 company with Mr Buist we examined the fish, 

 and found that it weighed 3J Ibs. Mr Speedy 

 cut off the dead fin from some grilse that were 

 lying beside the pond fish, to show that it was 

 impossible to deceive, by any recent abstraction 

 of the fin, for the pond-fish had the part covered 

 by skin and scales. The fish, when marked as a 

 smoult, weighed not more than an ounce, or an 

 ounce and a-half, at the most, had increased in 

 weight 3 Ib. 3 oz. in six weeks. The take of 

 grilse this season was unprecedented, for on 

 Monday, the first of August, one tacksman alone 

 caught upwards of a ton weight of salmon and 

 grilse. Counting them was out of the question, 

 far less looking for pond fish amongst them. 

 They were shovelled into boxes as fast as boxes 

 could be made, weighed, and sent off to London; 

 but we may infer that had they been examined, 

 many pond fish would have been found amongst 

 them. 



