146 
MALACOPTERYGII. 
Mr. Skelly has read the opinions of Shaw, and denies their truth. He 
has the old notion about their amazingly rapid growth ; he can hardly, 
however, be mistaken about the fry entering the sea when very small 
in sackfulls ; he says they do so when of the length of the finger : the 
short course of the river may account for this. He states that they 
have not the dark side-marks of the parr. The salmon cannot be said 
to be decreasing of late years; but many years back (50) were much 
more numerous. I saw a number taken likewise in the sea this morn- 
ing, the largest thirteen pounds weight. June 18 th. — “ Fourteen and a 
half score of salmon ” were taken here to-day in the sea. June 20 th . — - 
Seventeen and a half score were taken at Port Ballantrae in the sea. 
June 21 st. — Thirteen and a half score were taken in the cuts at Bush foot. 
More salmon have already been taken at the Bush fishery (river and sea) 
this season than there has been from commencement of the season to the 
21st of June any year since 1814. I have been told that a fish weighing 
fifty-five pounds was taken here last year ; and some years ago one of 
seventy pounds weight. Large fish do not ascend the Bush until the 
season is far advanced. Eightpence per lb. is the price charged for 
salmon here this season : it is sent to Glasgow on commission. 
Portrush , June 2,2nd. — I saw a salmon of twenty-seven pounds weight 
taken in the sea here ; it was offered at sixpence per lb., the price charged 
for the “ poaching ” captures (large and small) made in the river. 
Pally shannon, July 1 5th, 1840. — A gentleman whom I met at the 
hotel here assured me that he had seen two salmon taken here, one of 
which weighed forty-five pounds, and the other sixty-three pounds ; and 
that a friend of his saw one which weighed upwards of eighty pounds. 
Colburn, of the hotel, does not credit the weight of the last two. Two 
days ago, eight hundred salmon * were taken here at the fishery. It is 
said that three hundred and twenty-nine were taken at one draught, and 
all large fish, from twenty-five to thirty-four pounds weight. From May 
1 2th to this time five tons of salmon have been taken here ; the price in 
the town is eightpence per lb. The fish are rather increasing of late years ; 
£3000 and £4000 a-year are said to be realized by the lessees. Col. Conolly, 
the proprietor, derives £1100 per annum of clear profit rent from the 
fishery, and has it set for three lives. 
I extract the annexed paragraph, from Kidd’s Companion to South- 
ampton and the Isle of Wight, on account of the similarity between 
the Southampton river and the Lagan : — 
“ Formerly the salmon fishery was carried on here [at Southampton] with 
much success, and a few of them are still occasionally taken. So abundant was 
the supply, that farm-servants and apprentices used to stipulate with their 
masters that they should not have salmon for dinner more than twice a-week.” 
The parr has been mentioned by the following authors : — Butty says, 
“ Salmulus-Samlet, or Branlin, frequent with us; never above 6 inches 
long.” — Sampson speaks of it as the “ Samlet, or Jenkin,” least of the 
genus.” — Tighe notes the “ S. stimulus, Bay, here called guillioge ; ” and 
Harris, in his enumerations of the fish found in the Bann, says, “ it is here 
called a Ginkin.” — See also Annals Nat. History, vol. xiv. p. 146. 
April 25, 1837. — I to-day received from Glenwherry river (County 
Antrim), ten specimens of the parr, from 4 to 7 inches in length ; and at 
the same time, three specimens of the common trout ( Salmo Fario) of 
corresponding size, for comparison. 
* Similar numbers were lately taken at one haul at Ballina. 
