ers, all the year, which is
congenial to the habits of the fish, while the same quality may
only be found during part of the year in others; it is certain
that the quality of the waters in rivers generally varies very
much with the season: thus the water of the Ribble, after a flood
in summer, is always of a dark brown colour, being so coloured by
the peat moss over which it passes, while in winter no such tinge
can be observed; and there may be other differences with which we
are unacquainted; however, whether this is the true reason or not,
it certainly cannot be that the fish which spawn in October are
impelled by their desire to propagate their species to ascend the
river the January before; and if this long residence in fresh
water were necessary for the proper development of the ova in one
river, we might suppose it would be necessary in all; yet this is
not the case, as the red fish which ascend the river in November
and December have at that time the spawn in them nearly ready for
exclusion.

On one point, about which there is great difference of opinion,
viz. whether the fish which are bred in the river generally resort
to it again, and whether each river has its own variety of fish, I
am not a competent judge, as I am acquainted with too few rivers
to pretend to decide. I may, however, just remark that the Hodder,
though it is a much smaller river than the Ribble, is always much
better stocked with Salmon, Morts, Sprods, Smolts, and Par than is
the latter river, which I attribute to the fact that more fish
spawn in the river Hodder, which runs for many miles through the
Forest of Bowland (the property of the Duke of Buccleuch) and
other large estates, and the fish are much better protected there
than in the Ribble, where, with one or two exceptions, the
properties are very much divided, and few people think it worth
their while to trouble themselves on the subject. Dr. Fleming, in
his letter to Mr. Kennedy (Appendix to the first Rep., 1825),
seems to doubt that Salmon enter rivers for any other purpose than
of propagation, but lest I should misrepresent his opinions, I
will quote what he has said on the subject:--"In the evidence
taken before the Select Committee during the last season of
Parliament, and appearing in the report, there are several
statements of a somewhat imposing kind, which, as they appear to
me to be erroneous and apt to mislead, I shall here take the
liberty of opposing." He then enumera