" EARL Y " AND " LA TE " SALMON RIVERS. 87 



Lake enters it at Waterville ; the distance from the 

 lake to the sea being not more perhaps than 800 

 yards. A cruive-weir has been placed across the 

 narrow river time out of mind, and latterly a con- 

 siderable number of salmon have been taken in it in 

 January, and, before the law restricted it, in Decem- 

 ber and November also. Many of these fish were 

 found to be in the highest state of edible condition, 

 bright, firm, fat, well-flavoured, and with roe and milt 

 in the earliest stage of development, and they were 

 ascending during the time that the earlier-run fish 

 were actually in full spawning in the streams tribu- 

 tary to the lake. It was often urged that all spawn- 

 ing operations terminated in these Curraune waters 

 before Christmas, yet I saw a pair of salmon myself 

 in the act, on the 3d of February, above the bridge at 

 Waterville. It was the only opportunity I had had 

 of seeing for myself, and I would suggest to those 

 who may wish to arrive at facts in natural history, 

 and especially in the somewhat intricate history of 

 the salmon, that it is far safer to go and see, than to 

 rely upon what you only hear. 



The river Inney enters the same bay within a dis- 

 tance of about two miles from the mouth of the Cur- 

 raune ; there is no lake connected with it ; the floods 

 or spates discharge quickly, and during the dry sum- 

 mer months it affords no " deeps" sufficient for the 

 protection of salmon, which are therefore far too 



