52 THE LIFE OF THE SALMON 
certain localities shows that grilse continue to run 
with the latest of the spawning salmon. In the Tay 
in 1902 and 1903 we carried on winter netting at 
Almondmouth, a short distance above Perth, where 
a very fair sample is to be obtained of the stock of 
fish in the lower river. In November we netted for 
three days in each year, and found a pretty even 
balance :— 
Grilse. Salmon. 
November, 1902 . 107 7 . 64 
November, 1903 . 100 r . 132 
207 196 
The fish enumerated are unspawned, spawning, and 
spent. We caught in addition several clean run 
salmon. Ata higher part of the river, less suitable 
for the finding of spawning fish, we had only eleven 
grilse (all unspawned) and fifty-one unspawned and 
spent salmon. I am unable to give figures worthy 
of mention respecting the stock of fish in the upper 
Tay, but in all probability the salmon considerably 
outnumber the grilse, on account of the large number 
of spring fish which ascend this well-stocked river. 
Of no river of any size can it be said that it practi- 
cally holds nothing but grilse, nor are the grilse in 
any river with which I am acquainted in this country 
in the proportion of seven grilse to one salmon, as 
was the case on the Caithness coast in 1904. Willis 
Bund refers to the small proportion of grilse in our 
rivers, and adds that “the number of grilse, so far 
as one can see, that spawn are below the proper 
proportion.” The same writer shows (‘Salmon 
Problems”) that it is impossible to show any clear 
