of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 



23 



"stand that the Justices in the previous prosecutions regarded the 

 "practice as some evidence on the facts. They thought that the 

 " ordinary understanding of fishermen bore upon that question of fact. 

 " I think that the fish which the accused had on the date libelled, the 

 " 27th February, was a fish which was, in the first place, a gravid fish, 

 " as I would express it ; that it had matured spawn in it ; and that it 

 " was actually at the point of spawning, or within a very brief period 

 " of spawning, at the time it was taken, and I call that an unclean fish. 

 " I am inclined to think that every rawner must be an unclean fish, but 

 " I do not need to decide that. I decide that this fish, produced and 

 " described in its then condition on 27th February, was an unclean 

 " fish. The fine will be one of 5s., with 15s. of modified expenses." 



Obstructions to the Passage of Fish — 



1. There has been a new dam dyke built across the Almond about 700 yards 



below the former lowest dyke. It is a very difficult oue for salmon to 

 get over, but it is understood it is going to be altered. 



2. All cruives discontinued in district, but a good deal of trouble is 



experienced in connection with hecks by millowners taking advan- 

 tage of the provisions of Section 11 of the 1868 Act, which provides 

 that it shall be lawful to lift any heck from out the water as a 

 means of protection during a flood, or when the river is encumbered 

 with ice or with weeds and floating leaves to an extent to choke the 

 heck. 



3. None of them are all that could be desired. 



4. 5, and 6. No. 



Pollutions — 



1. Gradual increases all round, but nothing specially new so far as observed. 



2. No steps taken. 



The Salmon Disease — 



1. Yes, first observed on 7th November, and increased up to January and 



declined till end of May, when little or no disease was seen. 



2. Slightly below usual winter conditions. 



3. No accurate note kept, but roughly speaking from 1000 to 1200, chiefly 



spawned fish. About 20 clean salmon were found among the diseased 

 dead fish. 



The Spawning Season — 



1. 24th October. 



2. Between 15th November and 15th December. 



3. Early in January. 



4. Kather below the usual level of spawning seasons. 



5. A good average. 



6. Tay, Earn, Isla, Tummel, Ericht, Garry. 



Kelts— 



1. In January. 



2. In April and May. 



3. About 10th June. 



4. Slightly lower than usual in these months. 

 Smolts — 



1. This was rather a peculiar season of smolts. They began to go down early 

 in March, and continued more or less right on to about the middle of 

 June. So it was both an early and a late season, and considered a 

 very good one as to numbers. 



