14 SALMON-FISHERY OF SCOTLAND. 



water ousels, and other birds that are constantly preying upon 

 them, and upon the fry in their infant state, when no bigger 

 than needles, and to whom his 18,000 ova would scarcely make 

 a breakfast. Even when going down to the sea, clouds of sea- 

 gulls hover over them, darting down every instant and picking 

 them up ; and after they have reached the sea, they are no 

 doubt devoured by all other fishes, according to the universal 

 law of the marine regions. But the greatest destruction of all, 

 in the Scotch rivers, of both the ova and fry, is by severe 

 and rapid winter floods, which in some instances tear up the 

 spawning beds, so that scarcely a vestige of them is left, cover- 

 ing the adjacent meadows with ova and fry ; while in other 

 parts such quantities of sand and gravel are thrown upon 

 them, that the spawn is quite smothered. If Mr Halliday and 

 his stake-net friends happened to be taking their morning walk 

 along the banks of a river on one of these occasions, and saw 

 the meadows strewed with ova and fry, they would no doubt 

 see the necessity of sending for a few additional breeders to 

 repair the loss. There is, however, but one practicable cure : 

 namely, to keep the rivers always well supplied with breeding 

 fish, so that, if much of the spawn be destroyed, much will have 

 a chance to escape. It is the only way by which the quantity 

 of salmon can be increased. 



The salmon which enter the rivers in the early part of the 

 season, in the spring and summer months, which, though all 

 charged with spawn, the stake-net fishers do not consider breed- 

 ing fish, are always the very best and surest breeders, because 

 they are enabled to reach the higher parts of the rivers, where, 

 the quantity of water being less, the spawning-beds are not so 

 liable to be destroyed by winter floods. The fish which do not 

 enter the rivers tiU towards the conclusion of the season or 

 close-time (and these are often very few in number, as the fish 

 then become scarce), which the stake-net fishers and our theor- 

 ists think quite sufficient, seldom ascend beyond the lower 

 parts of the river, where the spawn is exposed to the whole 

 force of the water, enlarged by the various streams that fall into 

 it, and is often swept away in the manner we have stated. Fish 

 ought, therefore, to be allowed to run up the rivers at all pepiods 



