348 
On the Natural History qf the Salmon, 
ferenee to the coble-net (for the spawning-beds are remote from the stake-net 
grounds) as used in the winter and spring, says, “ We have very strong ropes 
made of old nets, and with round circles of heavy rope lashed to the ground- 
rope of the net to keep it down ; sometimes we tie stones to it to keep it to 
the bottom, and sometimes we put two cast-metal sinkers. It is generally in 
the spring that we require the heaviest weights at the bottom of the coble- 
nets, on account of the river being heavier or more full of water at that season. 
If thousands of fish should breed in the river, it would be impossible for spawn 
to come to perfection, where we are constantly fishing over them all the twenty- 
four hours with coble-nets.”— “ They usually fish the whole fords in the river 
from top to bottom at pleasure, with ground-ropes trailed along them p. 65. 
He has seen this process performed on the very places where “ they use 
winches and capstans in the Tay ; by which means they can add more weight 
to the bottom if they like.” Though he never examined the river to deter- 
mine whether the eggs were actually removed, yet he declares, “ I have seen 
the under rope of the net level down the spawning-bed ;” and he adds, with 
force, “ You might just as soon have 4 bed of onions to come to perfection (as. 
a spawning-bed), if a foble-net mid rope was dragged over it, tearing up the 
mould twenty times a-day ; I would take my chance of the one as soon as the 
other ;” p. 66. 
The period when the spawn evolves the fry, is stated by Mr Little to be 
when the natural warmth comes into the water in the month of March ; “ and 
they continue going down from that time until the first of May : sometimes 
I have observed them going down till the month of June ; I have ssen some 
of them in the month of June, but they principally are out of the river early 
in May. The spawn does npt come into life I consider till March p, 115. 
Even with regard to the time of the fish rising from the gravel, he says, “ I 
have observed, when we have early warm weather, the fry come early ; and 
when we have a late spring, it is later before the fry rise from the gravel ; of 
course a great deal depends upon the season, but generally they begin to rise 
about the beginning of IVIarch, and they end about the middle of April in ri- 
sing from the bed ;” p. 109. Mr Halliday says, ‘‘ 1 think they generally come 
into life the end of March, or from about the middle of March to the end of 
it 5 but I do not think they come all into life exactly at one time, but nearly so. 
Some of the fry appear to be much larger than others, and I do not see the 
young fish so plentiful at the sides of tb.? water at the first as after some time;” 
p. 62. Sir H. Davy says, “ It is stated that the eggs produce young ones in 
about six weeks,” p. 145. ; — an opinion rendered nugatory by viewing in con- 
nection the general period of the spawning and the general period of the ap- 
pearance of the fry. 
There is very little satisfactory information respecting the appearance of 
the fry at the time of their evolution. Mr Little says, ‘‘ I never saw them 
in that state, but I have often conversed with other water-keepers on the sub- 
ject, who are placed upon the upper branch of the rivers, and they describe 
them very much in the same way that Mr William Scott did when he was ex- 
amined in the Tay case, that they rise from these gravel-beds like a crop of 
oats or thick breard of grain, rising up all round the stones in very great num- 
bers. The tail comes up first, and they will come from these beds with a part 
