94 THE HABITS OF THE SALMON. 



months can testify. I cannot believe that some of 

 these fish have ever been up the river to spawn ; 

 but I think that they must be identical with 

 smolts of the spring of 1886, which had remained 

 that year in the sea as grilse, and put in their 

 appearance in April, 1887, ^^ maiden salmon. 

 That there are maiden salmon of heavy weights, 

 I have no reason to doubt ; but how to distinguish 

 them from those which have spawned, appears to 

 me to be a difficult matter. In the course of a 

 discussion I had on piscatorial subjects not long 

 ago with a friend, I was informed that he 

 could easily detect a maiden salmon ; but I did 

 not quite gather how he was able to do so. If I 

 were asked to point out a maiden fish of from 

 10 lbs. to 12 lbs. weight, I should select one from 

 a run of May fish in the Blackwater, Co. Water- 

 ford, or from a run of fish at the same season in 

 the Boyne. Grilse are seldom seen high up in 

 the Boyne, but plenty are caught in the nets in 

 the estuary, and the tideway above and below 



