116 THE LIFE OF THE SALMON 



therefore, the young salmon in fresh water does not 

 incline to feed freely in winter ; and when the smolt 

 stage is passed and the fish has reached the great 

 feeding place the sea this peculiarity, which is 

 shared with other fishes, is still obvious. In the 

 formation and growth of the fish's scales these 

 periods of feeding and non-feeding are recorded, as 

 we have seen ; while, with regard to the length of 

 time during each summer in which the salmon 

 continues to feed, it is found, both by observations as 

 to food remains and by observations on the state of 

 nutriment in the tissues of estuary fish, that feeding 

 continues without cessation till September. 



An interesting letter bearing upon the subject of 

 the food of the salmon was read by Dr. Dunlop, in 

 his evidence before Lord Elgin's Salmon Fisheries 

 Commission. It was written by Mr. Rae, one time 

 superintendent of the Duke of Richmond and 

 Gordon's fisheries, and is as follows : " When salmon 

 were boiled and kitted I had great facility for ob- 

 serving the contents of their stomachs, and I have 

 invariably found that in all places the character of 

 their food, as a whole, has been the same. At 

 Lochinver in 1847 ; Carlo way, in Lewes, in 1848, 

 1849, 1850, and 1851 ; at Loch Ewe and Loch 

 Broom in 1852, 1853, 1854, 1855, 1856, I had 

 occasion to open many thousands, and found that 

 the principal contents were herrings. As many as 

 half a dozen in one fish, more or less decomposed, in 

 many cases reduced to pulp ; in others as many as six 

 or eight herring bones decomposing. I also found 

 sand-eels in many cases. , . ." Day mentions seeing 



