RESULTS OF SALMON MARKING 67 
In sixty-nine Scottish and forty-eight Irish re- 
turns of kelts recaptured as clean fish in fresh water 
we have therefore in Scotland practically twice as 
many long period fish as short period fish, while in 
Treland we have fully twice as many short period 
fish as long period fish—two somewhat opposite con- 
ditions at first sight. The Irish kelt weights are on 
an average considerably less than the weights of the 
Scottish fish, this being largely owing to the heavy 
Tay kelts in Scotland, but any idea as to there being 
a difference in habit amongst light and presumably 
younger fish seems dissipated by the middle group 
of Scottish returns, where in 1902 and 1903 we 
have out of a total of fourteen recaptures seven short 
and seven long period fish. This only exemplifies 
what has already been said as to weight of fish in 
particular localities being no guide for comparison. 
The interesting point to notice, however, is that 
while in the first group of Scottish and Irish fish 
there is an insignificant appearance of long period 
fish in Ireland, there is in the 1903-1905 group a 
marked increase in the proportion of these fish, and 
that similarly the proportion of long period fish in 
Scotland greatly increases at the same time, there 
being in fact an entire absence of short period fish 
in this group. In other words, it would appear 
that in the years 1903, 1904, and 1905 there has 
been some influence at work which has apparently 
induced a larger proportion of fish, both in Scotland 
and Ireland, to remain in the sea till the end of the 
season’s netting. The short absence is still the 
most common in Ireland, but the proportion of long 
