56 TOUR IN SUTHERLAND, CH. IV. 



in warm seasons they are hatched much quicker 

 than in cold. The details I have here given are 

 very imperfect ; but perhaps they may induce those 

 interested in the subject to read a little work pub- 

 lished by Mr. Young, the result of his observations 

 and experience for many years. 



It is a common opinion that no food is ever found 

 in the stomach of a salmon ; but this is quite 

 erroneous. On first entering the rivers they are 

 often perfectly gorged with small eels ; fry, and even 

 good-sized herring are constantly found in them ; 

 showing that the salmon is as voracious a fish as 

 his cousin the trout. When in fresh water they do 

 not seem to have the same voracity. That they do 

 feed on small fish, &c. however, in lake and river 

 cannot be doubted, as we know that trolling with 

 parr is as efficient a way of killing salmon in 

 several waters as fly-fishing, though not so generally 

 practised : nay, many a salmon dies an ignoble death 

 from taking a worm. 



This year I was fishing on a river in the North of 

 Scotland, near a town where there was plenty of 

 anglers, young and old, good and bad. There was 

 one old piscator, who was most assiduous in his at- 

 tention to the river, and whom I have seen for hours 

 together at one small pool ; changing his bait 

 from fly to worm and from worm to fly, as he fan- 



