46 The Salmon 



There is not the slightest doubt that the short and the long period in 

 the sea are common to all the different runs. I need not, however, 

 pursue this matter further, as it would be confusing, for the next run 

 of fish would be pretty much the same. I will endeavour, when 

 describing the scales, to afive more information as to the time these 

 fish remain in the sea after having been in the river as clean fish. 

 The marking of so many fish in different rivers proves that almost all 

 the fish return to their own native river. A few have certainly been 

 got a considerable distance from their own ri\'er, but it is probable 

 that even these would have found their way back to their own river 

 had they escaped capture. This, then, is a good guarantee to those 

 who have charge of any river, that whatever improvement they make 

 is for the benefit of their own river and not for those of other people. 



Since writing the above we have seen the close of the netting 

 season of 1907 ; and from the marking of the smolts and its results 

 most valuable information has been obtained respectirig the supply 

 of salmon in alter years. The year 1905 was a good year for smolts ; 

 1906 was therefore a good year for grilse ; 1907 was a good year for 

 small spring fish; irom this I expected that 190S would be a good 

 year for large spring fish, and such has been the case. On the other 

 hand, 1907 was a bad year for grilse, and I accordingly suspected 

 that 1 90S would be a bad year for small spring fish ; and this year 

 1908 being a good grilse season, will also be a good year for small 

 spring fish in 1909, and a good year for large spring fish in 19 10. This 

 will apply both to England and Scotland, and so well do we know this 

 now that I can almost tell what proportion of fish will follow in the 

 different runs trom the number ot grilse captured. 



On 5th July 1909 we caught in our nets on the Tay a female fish 

 of 26Tr lbs. (Fig. 42), one of those marked as a smolt in May 1905. 



