“ EARLY” AND “LATE” SALMON RIVERS. 89 
come until they have some rational hope of security. 
And they are quite right; for if they relied upon the 
tender mercies of the passers-by, who could not fail 
to discover them in their unsheltered situations, they 
would be wofully disappointed. 
In the Lee, some of those “ early spring fish,” as 
they are called, though they anticipate that season in 
their ascent, are found. They enter the fresh waters 
at Cork in December and January, and rush through 
them to the Lake of Inchegeela, which by the river 
course is at least forty miles above. There they so- 
journ in security until the autumn following, when they 
spawn early. So much for the south; we now come 
to the north of Ireland, round by the east coast. In 
the Liffey, at Dublin, without a lake, but with some 
deep pools of refuge for the fish, we find some early 
“ springers” ascending in January. While the Island 
Bridge Fishery was closed during that month, the 
proprietor was sure of his best haul on the first day 
of February. 
So far shalt thou go and no farther, said the im- 
passable weir at that place ; and there the poor emi- 
grants were detained, in the hope of some favourable 
opportunity occurring to enable them to surmount it. 
Vain hope, alas! for on the first of February out came 
the great net and mercilessly enclosed them, after 
which the fatal operation of crimping terminated 
their earthly, or rather watery, career ! 
