" EARL Y " AND " LA TE " SALMON RIVERS. 89 



come until they have some rational hope of security. 

 And they are quite right ; for if they relied upon the 

 tender mercies of the passers-by, who could not fail 

 to discover them in their unsheltered situations, they 

 would be wofully disappointed. 



In the Lee, some of those " early spring fish," as 

 they are called, though they anticipate that season in 

 their ascent, are found. They enter the fresh waters 

 at Cork in December and January, and rush through 

 them to the Lake of Inchegeela, which by the river 

 course is at least forty miles above. There they so- 

 jourii in security until the autumn following, when they 

 spawn early. So much for the south ; we now come 

 to the north of Ireland, round by the east coast. In 

 the Liffey, at Dublin, without a lake, but with some 

 deep pools of refuge for the fish, we find some early 

 " springers" ascending in January. While the Island 

 Bridge Fishery was closed during that month, the 

 proprietor was sure of his best haul on the first day 

 of February. 



So far shalt thou go and no farther, said the im- 

 passable weir at that place ; and there the poor emi- 

 grants were detained, in the hope of some favourable 

 opportunity occurring to enable them to surmount it. 

 Vain hope, alas ! for on the first of February out came 

 the great net and mercilessly enclosed them, after 

 which the fatal operation of crimping terminated 

 their earthly, or rather watery, career ! 



