THE HABITS OF THE SALMON. 13 



August. I have, however, recently learnt that 

 salmon have become as scarce in the Blackwater, 

 as in other mismanaged rivers of the United 

 Kingdom. It might be contended that in the Black- 

 water this is a natural consequence of working the 

 nets fifteen days earlier than usual, at the end of the 

 close season ; but, in my opinion, the falling off 

 is attributable to the dry summers of the last tw% or 

 three years, the drought in 1887 being almost un- 

 precedented. In fact there was little or no rain in 

 1887 from the beginning of March to October. Very 

 few spent fish could have gone to sea that year, and 

 very few clean fish could have passed up from the 

 tideway, consequently the stock of breeding fish of 

 1887-8 was reduced to almost nil. The kelts of 

 1887 were the very fish which were looked to for a 

 supply of clean fish early in the following year, and 

 therefore it is not surprising that the spring fishing, 

 both for nets and rods, in 1888 was the worst we 

 can remember. 



It has been stated on very good authority that the 

 result of artificial breeding in the Stormontfield ponds 



