BEFORE THE HOUSE OF COMMONS. 137 



for the interest of the salmon fishers if they could 

 be destroyed ; seen grampuses six to ten feet long ; 

 a salmon will spring out before the grampus and 

 will be caught in his mouth in the descent ; has 

 seen it ; salmon their principal food ; never saw 

 any other food than salmon taken from their 

 stomachs ; has see^i 200 grampuses at a time in 

 the Tay, and even more seals ; when the seals 

 sleep one or two always watch ; on the approach 

 of a boat they go into the water ; the destruction 

 by these monsters a great cause of the scarcity. 



George Little, Esq. Some of the fisheries have 

 decreased and some increased considerably ; gives 

 an account of the annual produce ; attributes the 

 increase to the appointment of water-keepers like 

 game-keepers ; we place them at certain distances, 

 and give them salaries ; the Moy cost 3407. last 

 year for keepers ; their duty is to watch the river 

 at night, to protect the mother fish and the fry in 

 the proper seasons ; people in Ireland are against 

 the fisheries, because formerly salmon could be 

 bought for three farthings a pound, and now they 



NOTES. 



George Little, Esq. This gentleman proves, that though 

 the fisheries in general are much diminished, yet some are 

 actually improved ; which he accounts for in a very rational 

 and satisfactory manner ; namely, by the adoption, volun- 

 tarily, at a private expence, of that which ought to be 

 the result of a general compulsory law. This is demon- 



