14 THE HABITS OF THE SALMON. 



has been productive of a great increase of spring fish 

 in the Tay, and if so, it is well to bear in mind that 

 the ova from which the fish in these ponds were 

 hatched, were taken exclusively from autumn salmon, 

 or rather from those caught in fresh water in the lower ' 

 parts of the streams in November. On comparing 

 notes, and consulting the table showing the date of 

 the commencement of the annual close season for 

 nets on various rivers of the United Kingdom, I 

 notice that early ascending salmon are far more 

 numerous in rivers that have an annual close time 

 commencing on or before the ist of September, 

 than in rivers where the close time commences 

 after that date. And although this increase may 

 be attributed to other causes, the fact still remains. 



Again, very few salmon escape the nets in the 

 estuaries and tideways during the summer, though 

 some pass up during the weekly close time. Those, 

 however, which do make from the tideway are 

 generally captured by the upper nets, within, say, 

 twenty-four hours from the time of their arrival. It 

 follows, therefore, that the breeding stock of these 



