158 THE SALMON RIVERS OF SCOTLAND 



and December 1895, no less than 570,000 ova were placed in the 

 boxes, nearly the whole of which hatched out and were turned into 

 the river in the following May, and there can be no doubt whatever 

 that this hatchery does a great deal towards keeping up the stock 

 of the river. The latest move in this direction, one which should be 

 closely watched by other hatcheries, is an experiment of keeping 

 the fry until they are a year old, and at Fochabers upwards of 

 100,000 are now being dealt with in this manner ; and although it 

 has entailed the additional expense of making fresh ponds, etc., 

 and also a large extra amount of food has to be provided, there can, 

 however, be Uttle doubt that the experiment will pay right weU, for 

 no one can fail to recognise the enormously increased chance of 

 coming to maturity that wiU thus be given the one-year-olds when 

 placed in the river, as against the chance offered to fry turned 

 out when only a few months old. 



The Spey is likewise efficiently protected by a staff of close 

 on fifty bailiffs, who duly caution anglers against taking smolts 

 and par, and clearly explain the difference between them and 

 trout. Youthful offenders usually escape with a caution, and 

 since this stricter and better method of watching has been in vogue, 

 trout anglers have done their best to avoid catching smolts and fry, 

 and in nearly all cases have shown the contents of their baskets 

 without being asked. Nevertheless, smolts have been known to 

 find their way into the angler's pockets, while his trout were dropped 

 into his basket. 



There are always clean fish on the nth of February, the opening 

 day, and fish have been known to spawn in the Fiddich as early 

 as the 26th of September, and on the 3rd of October in the main 

 stream ; the chief run, however, of salmon and grilse is in April, 

 May, June, and July. From the end of November to the end of 

 April, and even later, kelts drop back to the sea, and very plentiful 

 they are on aU the reaches, from Carron down. 



In 1892 two of us had in a few weeks — at the end of March and 

 beginning of April — 117 from the Wester Elchies water, all of which 

 were returned uninjured. Whether the kelts met with the same 

 care on other reaches is doubtful, and it would probably be a good 

 thing for them if the gaff was prohibited tOI the ist of May, 



For many years past there has been a certain amount of disease 

 on the Spey, chiefly amongst the kelts and fish about to spawn ; 

 but the fungus of the disease is not fatal unless it enters the gills, 

 and many fish may be marked by it on the body and yet survive. 

 The Spey bailiffs are instructed to count all the genuine spawning 

 beds — which would not include the preliminary scratches often 

 made by a pair of spawners — in their individual districts, and the 

 following interesting returns have been collected in the last ten 

 years. 



From 1889 to 1898 there were counted 48,012 beds, or an 

 average of 4801 cocks and 4801 hens each season. In 1894 there 

 were 7214 beds, and in 1890 only 2768, or a difference of 4446 



