260 THE KIDDLE OF THE SALMON 



thoroughly trustworthy and experienced naturalist, is the 

 manager. Not one of these six thousand five hundred 

 fish was recaptured during that year, as would almost 

 certainly have been the case had any of them returned to 

 the river. The first of the silver marks came to hand on 

 1st June 1906, in the fin of a grilse weighing close on three 

 pounds. One year in the salt water, with its abundant 

 food-supply, had sufficed to increase the weight of this 

 young salmon from one ounce to fifty-two ounces, the rate 

 of increase being between four and five ounces a month. 



Between June 1 and July 12 in the present year (1906) 

 five grilse, marked as smolts in 1905, have been taken in 

 the Tay, varying in weight from three to five pounds, 

 whence the deduction, doubtless to be confirmed by future 

 recaptures, is pretty clear that a grilse is a salmon not 

 less than four years old, and possibly five or six. It is 

 known that of the young fish spawned, say, in the autumn 

 of 1902, some make their first journey to the sea in May 

 and June 1904; others do not leave the river till the 

 corresponding months in 1905. Whether one year in the 

 sea is enough in all cases to fit the grilse for a return to 

 the river is still uncertain. If some of the Tay smolts 

 marked in 1905 should be recaptured as grilse in 

 1907, it will be apparent that more than a twelvemonth 

 of sea-fare is required to build up the frame of the fish to 

 a size which the angler deems worthy of his craft. 



[Since the above paragraph was penned, convincing 

 proof has been obtained that salmon do not always 

 reappear in rivers as grilse, but sometimes spend that 

 stage of their existence in the sea. Two fish marked as 

 smolts in 1905 have been taken in the Tay nets in 

 February 1907 as spring salmon weighing 9| and 8 Ibs.]. 



