FISH IN EN6LANJ) A \ > \V ES. 43 



extreme frigidity of the fresh river water, by 

 reason of its tenuity, especially being so lately 

 weakened by spawning ; and, therefore, by in- 

 stinct, they make the sea their winter habita- 

 tion, the sea being naturally warm. But if they 

 spawn in the mean time, from thence proceeds a 

 small salmon, called a Skegger, which never grows 

 large. The female salmon is distinguished from 

 the male because its nose is longer, and more 

 hooked, its scales not so bright, and its body 

 speckled over with dark brown spots ; its belly 

 flatter, and its flesh not so red ; more dry, and 

 less delicious to the taste. 



The growth of this fish is so extraordinary, 

 that a young salmon being taken at Warrington y 

 and w r hich weighed seven pounds on the 7th of 

 February, being marked with scissars on the 

 back fin, was again taken on the 17th of March 

 following, and was then found to weigh seven- 

 teen pounds and a half. 



The principal rivers in England for salmon, are, 

 1st, The Thames, whose salmon beats all others 

 for taste and flavour ; the Severn and the Trent ; 

 the Lon at Lancaster, about Cockersand ALney ; 

 at Workington in Cumberland ; Bywdl in North- 

 umberland ; Durham, and Nezvcastle on Tyne ; 

 the Dee in Cheshire ; and the rivers Usk and 

 Wye in Monmouthshire Besides the salmon-leap 

 in Pembrokeshire, there is another in the river 

 Ban i:i Ireland: this river is in the mountains 

 of Mourn in the county of Down, and it passes 

 through Lough Eaugh, or Lough Sidney, a large 

 lake in the county of Colra^e. Mr. Cambden 

 says it breeds salmons in abundance, above all 

 other rivers in Europe^ because it is thought to 

 exceed all others for clearness, in which sort of 

 water salmons delight. He bites best about three 



