24 



F. day: early and late salmon rivers. 



which Mr. Yarrell made this statement, and I am unable to discover 

 any satisfactory evidence that it is well grounded. All the evidence 

 to which I have access tends to show that, taking all the salmon rivers 

 in England and Wales together, the spawning season covers more or 

 less of November, the whole of December and January, and more or 

 less of February. It is rare for fish to spawn as late as March, and 

 I know of no conclusive evidence that they spawn earlier than 

 November' (page 28). He concluded that the ' earliness ' or ' lateness ' 

 of a river being affected by artificial conditions is devoid of foundation, 

 while there is no evidence that any ' early ' river was formerly made 

 ' late ' by late fishing, or that any ' late ' river has since been made 

 ' early ' by early cessation of fishing. He instanced the Cumberland 

 Derwent, where the coops at Salmon Hall Weir used to be fished 

 until October 10th, but from 1861 have been closed on September 1st 

 annually ; but there is no evidence that the fish have become any 

 earlier than they formerly were. He considered the problem not so 

 much why some rivers are late, as why so many are early, why fish 

 should ascend months prior to any breeding necessity rendering such 

 advisable. The subject of annual or biennial breeding, amd whether 

 these fish were temporarily sterile, does not appear to have claimed his 

 attention. 



In the same Report the Inspector observed ' in the Tamar, peal 

 are said to be ready to spawn in August, and salmon in September. 

 In the Tavy the salmon are said to be ready to spawn in October, 

 but the peal seldom spawn before November. I very much doubt, 

 however, whether anyone ever saw a salmon or a peal actually spawn- 

 ing so early as August, September, or even October. The opinion 

 that they are ' ready to spawn ' is inconclusive. Against this evidence 

 may be cited the case of a neighbouring river, the Plym. I am 

 informed by Mr. Henry Clark, one of the conservators, that the 

 fishermen fishing for herrings and coarse fish in the tidal waters of the 

 Plym, in December last, caught at the same time spent peal just 

 returned from spawning, and fresh-run salmon going up to spawn ; 

 and that about the same time several salmon, weighing from 14 lbs. 

 to 24 lbs., killed by otters, were picked up below the weir at Cann 

 Quarry, 'full of peas, nearly ripe'; while in March last year some 

 fresh-run peal going up, and spent salmon coming back, were caught 

 together between the weir at Cann Quarry and the tidal waters.' In 

 these instances it is to be regretted that neither the Inspector of 

 Fisheries or his assistant took any steps to personally ascertain the 

 condition of the fish in these rivers at the period referred to, but 

 accepted information received at second hand. 



Naturalist, 



