194 APPENDIX. 



the spawning is over, the fish slowly descend in a 

 sick and weakly condition to the sea, the males 

 preceding the females, though some kelts continue 

 to linger in the upper part of the river till May, 

 and are supposed to be destructive to the young fry. 

 The ova are also greedily devoured by trouts and 

 eels, and by birds which haunt the upper parts of 

 rivers, among the most destructive of which is the 

 water ouzel. 



The young generally begin to rise from their 

 gravelly beds to the surface of the water in the first 

 week of March, " like a crop of oats," with a por- 

 tion of the ovum or "pea" frequently adhering to 

 them. At first they keep near the sides of the 

 stream to be more out of the reach of the large fish, 

 as well of their own species, as of pike and eels, 

 which prey upon them. In this manner they are 

 gradually carried down the river during April, at 

 which time they are from two to three and a half 

 inches long, and from half an ounce to two ounces 

 in weight. On arriving within the influence of the 

 tide they leave the shores and seek the deep water 

 in the middle of the stream, and are generally 

 all carried out to sea by the 4th of May. Towards 

 the latter end of June they again enter the rivers, 

 when they are mostly from two to two and a half 

 pounds weight ; during July and August they continue 

 to ascend in greater numbers and of increased size ; 

 and in the latter month, which is the height of the 

 grilse season in the Tweed, they generally weigh 

 from three to six pounds, though some are caught 

 weighing seven or eight. In September, when it is 



