286 FISHES OF THE FIRTH OF FORTH. 



The Salmon, although a common fish in the Firth of 

 Forth, is not accounted plentiful when compared with the 

 number that are occasionally taken in the Tweed and in 

 other fishing districts of the north. In some seasons they 

 make their appearance in the Forth in much greater plenty 

 than at others ; and when that is the case, it is said, there 

 is generally a diminished proportion observed in the rivers 

 of the south. It seems certain that Salmon rove to a con- 

 siderable distance when at sea, and that they do not uni- 

 versally return to the same stream in which they were ex- 

 cluded from the ova, since numbers are taken in the Firth 

 of Forth which aad been previously marked when fry in 

 the Tweed ; and it is probable that, on certain occasions, 

 depending perhaps on the disturbed state of the ocean, they 

 enter the first stream they meet with which seems best to 

 suit their purpose. The Firth of Forth is bordered on both 

 sides with stake-nets, besides other nets and snares of diffe- 

 rent descriptions used for the purpose of capturing salmon. 

 July is the principal month for the run of salmon, when it 

 is not an uncommon occurrence for some of the nets to take 

 from fifty to eighty at each tide successively for a fortnight. 

 Pennant states that a boat-load of Salmon, and sometimes 

 nearly double that quantity, are often taken in the Tweed 

 in a tide, and that some years before he wrote, above seven 

 hundred were taken at one haul of a net. 



The Edinburgh market is supplied with Salmon from 

 the Firth of Forth until the early part of August, after 

 which they are sent from the Tweed, and, in some seasons, 

 sold at the rate of sixpence a pound. 



Few persons have been able to agree as to the precise 

 food of the Salmon, for on opening the stomach seldom any 

 thing but thick mucus is observed to line it. Dr Knox states, 

 that the food of the salmon, while in the sea, consists solely 



