S44 ‘ 
On the Nat ural History of the Salmon^ 
At what season do salmon enter rivers for the purpose of spawning 9 — We have 
already seen, that the milt and roe make their appearance in a very obvious man- 
ner so early as the month of May ; p. 35i Mr Johnstone states, “ that some 
are getting full of spawn in July p. 50. In August, “ the great proportion of 
them are gettting full of roe and milt ; they always get fulf as they get near 
spawning p. 40. Mr Wilson states, that “ in August they get considerably 
advanced with spawn ; and in the end of August and beginning of September they 
get very full of spawn p. 12. Wm. Bell, in reference to the Tay, states, that 
eight or ten days before the fishing-season closes, they are “ very full of roe 
p. 32. J. Proudfoot says, “ I have seen the fish, particularly the female, 
beginning to get very large by the 25th August;’* p. 27. In September and 
October, they are so full of roe and milt as to be unmarketable. Mr Halliday ' 
says, “ Last year some of the fish sent from Montrose before the 10th October 
were seeded; and condemned in the London market as being unfit for use; and 
I have seen them frequently take them by the 1st October that I considered 
were very unwholesome and improper fish to be taken ;” p,. 83. Even in Fe-- 
bruary and March last year (1824), in the North Esk, “ I caught them upon 
the spawning-beds in the night4ime ;” p. 84. Mr Little declares, in August, 
September, and October, in general, they get large in the belly, and fuU of 
roe and milt ; and he adds, that, for the purpose of spawning, “ they begin to 
ascend in the months of August and September, and continue to the end of 
the year p. 107. In January, February, and even March, some of the fish 
are unspawned. Mr Little states, that “ last season my tenant commenced 
fishing at my fishery in the Nith on the 11th March. He then IdMed, as I 
am informed, upwards of 200 salmon, some of them positively not spawned 
p. 116 . 
Fish reavdy to spawn seem to enter the rivers directly, and in the friths to 
keep the depth of the stream ; hence, neither shore stake-nets nor estuary 
stake- nets are successful in capturing red fish. Even Mr Bell, a witness ob- 
viously hostile to stake-nets, declares, in reference to the capture of red fish 
in the estuary, that “ none”' are caught, and qualifies his assertion by saying; 
« there may be one accidentally in a year or two ;” p. 23. In ascending the 
river, Mr Halliday declares, the fish run most in the morning and evening 
p; 86. The general time of spawning, according to all the witnesses, is during 
the months of November, December, and January; pp. 61. 108.: though 
stragglers may be found in March. 
The interruptions which salmon at present experience in ascending rivers 
for the purpose of spawning, chiefly arise from mill-dams. The walls of these, 
in many cases, are built in so close a manner, that for months there will not 
be enough of water to permit any fish to ascend. It is only in very great 
floods that they can successfully overcome the barrier. Noxious matter^ from 
tan-pits, the steeping of flax, and gas washings, expel salmon from a river ; 
p. 133. 67. In reference to noxious matter, however, Mr Drunpnond makes 
an exception in favour of peat-moss floated into the Forth from Blair-Drum- 
mond : “ I believe it to be troublesome to the nets in fishing ; but certainly 
there is nothing noxious in the nature of moss to the fish ;” p. 141. 
Fish ready to spawn are sought after by poachers for the sake of the roci 
Mr little says, ‘‘ It is potted. The gentlemen going to fish in the lakes of 
