Essays in Natural History and Agriculture | Page 2

best I have
is, that there is no perceptible difference in the fry when going down to
sea. It may be said, How do you know that one of the three or four

varieties of Smolts which you describe further on, is not the fry of the
Mort? To this objection, if made, I say that these varieties exist in the
Wharfe, where, owing either to natural or artificial causes, there is
never either a Mort or a Sprod (Whitling?) seen.
Thirdly, we have the Sprod, which is, I believe, synonymous with the
Whitling, Whiting, or Birling of Scotland. It is a beautiful fish of six or
eight ounces in weight, and has more the appearance of the Salmon
than the Mort; it seldom ascends the river before July, and, like the
Mort, is far more abundant in the Hodder than in the Ribble; this fish
sometimes rises pretty freely at the fly, and when it does so, makes a
very handsome addition to the angler's basket, but at other times it is
difficult to hook, because of its shyness. It disappears in a great
measure about September.
Fourthly, we have the Pink, or Par, which is found of two or three sizes
in the Ribble; the largest are all males, and in October the milt in them
is large; they are small fishes, ranging in weight from about one to
three ounces each, and it is well remarked by the author of that
delightful book "Wild Sports of the West," they have very much the
appearance of Hybrids between the Salmon and the Trout; they rise
very freely at the fly and maggot, from July to October, and afford
good sport to the angler who is satisfied with catching small fish. I trust
I shall be able in the following pages to give some information
respecting this fish which will assist in dispelling the mystery in which
its natural history has been enveloped.
I will now mention a few of the opinions respecting the various species
of the Salmon, and also my own, when they are at variance with the
generally received ones, and give the facts and reasonings which have
induced me to form those opinions, and I shall be very glad, if I am in
error on any of these points, if some one of my readers, better
acquainted with the subject than I am, will take the trouble to set me
right. It seems to be the opinion of many, indeed of most persons, that
the Salmon spawns from November to February, that the young fry, or
Smolts, go down to the sea in the April or May following; my own
opinion is that they stay in the river much longer. The Grilse is by

many believed to be a distinct species, whilst others stoutly maintain
that it is a young Salmon.
The testimony of the witnesses from the Severn, the Wye, the Lee, near
Cork, and the Ness (see the evidence given before the Select
Committees of the House of Commons in 1824 and 1825), would lead
one to suppose that the fish were in best season from November to
March, whilst the evidence of the witnesses from other parts of the
kingdom goes to prove that this is the very worst period for catching
them.
One maintains that each river has its own variety of fish, which can be
distinguished from the fish of any other river; another contends that
there is no such difference; a third states that stake nets are exceedingly
injurious to the breed of the fish; and a fourth attests that stake nets
only catch the fish when they are in the best season, that neither Kelt
nor fry are taken in them, and that if they were prohibited it would only
be preserving the fish for the grampuses and seals;--in short, the
evidence regarding both their habits, and the best mode of catching
them, having in view the preservation and increase of the breed, is so
completely contradictory as to leave a doubt in the mind of every one
who reads it, and has no other means of forming an opinion. I will
endeavour to show in some instances which of the testimonies is
correct, and it will be for my readers to judge how far I succeed, and I
hope they will be so obliging as to correct any error into which I may
fall.
First.--It is my opinion that the fry of Salmon are much older when they
leave the river than seems to be generally supposed, and that the growth
of this fish is by no means so rapid as it is considered to be by those
who have written upon the subject. For several years previous to 1816
the Salmon were unable to ascend into the upper