60 THE SALMON RIVERS OF SCOTLAND 



serves a multitude of purposes nowadays, and enters the Tay in two 

 branches, one close to the Bridge of Perth, the other about the 

 centre of the South Inch. This lower branch is the source of much 

 gross pollution to the Tay, and unhappily it is not the only source 

 of this growing trouble to salmon interests in the immediate neigh- 

 bourhood of Perth. The particular nature of the various pollutions 

 which enter the river has lately received the careful attention of 

 the District Fishery Board. The desire for the purification of our 

 rivers is becoming keenly felt and expressed on all hands, and 

 without doubt the interest of the valuable fishings will be well 

 served when steps are taken to remedy the evil. The fact that the 

 annual rental of Tay salmon fishings is at present fully 23,000 is 

 sufficient to show the interests involved. Since 1900 the Tay rental 

 has never been below 22,500. 



A little distance above "Borne" the Stormontfield Ponds are 

 situated. These ponds, constructed with the encouragement of the 

 then Lord Mansfield, and on his ground, were closely associated with 

 the early experiments to prove that the parr is the young of the 

 salmon, and to elucidate the migratory habits of the fish. Here, 

 from 1853, salmon fry were hatched out in artificially constructed 

 channels resembling natural redds, the young fish being afterwards 

 transferred to ponds. A little book written by Brown the superin- 

 tendent, and a pioneer of salmon hatching in Scotland, along with 

 Shaw of Drumlanrig, describes the formation of the original estab- 

 lishment arid the various experiments conducted by " Peter of the 

 Pools," the keeper of the ponds. The deductions drawn from the 

 early experiments were to a considerable extent erroneous, but were 

 none the less of great value as giving stimulus to this branch of 

 natural history, and inducing other observers to work at the problems 

 suggested. At a later date the hatching place at Stormontfield was 

 cleared of its artificial redds and converted into a rearing pond, while 

 the operation of hatching was transferred to a more modern hatchery 

 situated at Dupplin on the Earn. The ordinary method of hatching 

 on glass grilles was here adopted and carried on with varying results. 

 No great number of ova was at any time laid down in the hatchery, 

 and it is not surprising to find that no certain advantage has been 

 secured from the operations. The following numbers represent the 

 ova treated in six years : 



1901 >... - 536,000 



1902 . - 456,000 



1903 - - 456,000 



1904 - - 456,000 



1905 - - 135,000 



1906 - - 276,000 



