170 Report of the Experimental Committee. 



but in the following July, the sun's rays having raised the tem- 

 perature of the water, several of the fish died ; and on the 4th of 

 July, when the larger and deeper pond adjoining was cleaned 

 out, the 7 surviving fish were taken from the salt-water pond, 

 and, after being carefully marked, were replaced in the large 

 pond. 



The following table has been extracted from the Eegister kept 

 by Mr List, from entries made on each occasion when these fish 

 have been examined by the Committee : — 



1th May, 1874. — Average length, 8 ins. 



8th July, 1874. — Average length, 8 ■£% ins. ; increase in 8 weeks, tV in. 



5th Nov., 1874. — Average length, 8 T f ins. ; increase in 17 weeks, xt in. 

 lith April, 1875. — Average length, 9 - x % ins. ; increase in 23 weeks, if in. 

 22nd July, 1875. — Average length, 10 - x % ins. ; increase in 14 weeks, 1 tV in. 



9th March, 1876. — Average length, 12 -^ ins. ; increase in 33 weeks, 1 $? in. 

 25th May, 1876. — Average length, 12 -£■ ins. ; increase in 11 weeks, i s 6 - in. 



ithJuly, 1876. — Average length, 12 i| ins. ; increase in 6 weeks, tV in. 

 Average increase in length during 2 years and 58 days, about 5 inches. 

 By direction of the Committee, the bailiffs marked in the 

 spring of 1876 Grilse kelts to the number of 12, which had been 

 caught at Yardford Fishery, and returned them to the river ; 

 one of these, marked on April 28, was found dead on 8th May, 

 at Bailiff's Bat. 



Although the members of the Experimental Committee, as well 

 as the practical fishermen who from time to time personally at- 

 tended the examination of the fish in the Carham ponds, were 

 unanimous in the conviction that they had successively exchanged 

 their character of Orange Tin for that of Black Tail and Whit- 

 ling, still two amid curiae — viz., Major Dickins, of Cornhill, and 

 Mr Stoddart, of Kelso — who had been invited to give their 

 opinions, maintained that the fish were, and are now, common 

 Yellow or White Trout, and not members of the Salmon tribe. 

 It seemed, therefore, desirable to obtain the impartial opinion of 

 some scientific authority, whose competency to decide the ques- 

 tion at issue might be generally accepted. Hence it was that 

 Mr Stirling, of the Museum of Anatomy in the University of 

 Edinburgh, kindly attended a meeting of the Committee on the 

 25th May last, and attentively examined the fish as they were 

 taken from the pond, measured, weighed, and counted, and re- 

 turned to the water. He also took awajr with him, for subse- 

 quent dissection, one of the fish in an intermediate stage, which 



