Mr D. Ellis on the Natural History oftlie Salman. 253 



They no longer, as in the winter and spring months, roam over 

 the coasts and shores, and return backwards and forwards with 

 the flowing and ebbing of the tide, but pursue the most direct 

 route by the mid-channel up the river, and make the greatest 

 efforts to overcome every obstacle, either natural or artificial, 

 that may impede or obstruct their course. " I have often seen 

 them leap a fall, near my residence," says Sir G. S. Mackenzie, 

 " of about 30 feet high, but they seldom spring out of the water , 

 more than 8 or 10 feet. I have seen them leap over a dry 

 rock of considerable height, and drop into the water behind it. 

 After having entered a river, the object of salmon appears to be 

 to push as far up towards the source as possible, in order that 

 they may deposit their spawn in the small streams that form 

 their sources ; and which, on account of their being near the 

 springs which supply them, are neither so apt to run dry as the 

 river lower down, where the effect of evaporation is greater, 

 nor to be so affected by frost as to stop the water from running. 

 The water is alw^s steadier in its temperature near the sources, 

 varying little throughout the whole year; and these small 

 streams are fitted peculiarly for vivifying the spawn, as they 

 form a constant succession of rills, by which the water is kept 

 fully saturated with air *."" It is not always, however, that the 

 spawning fish are able to reach these sources, but are obliged to 

 deposit their spawn in the shallow fords in the beds of rivers, 

 and sometimes in the streamlets of mill-dams. 



The process of spawning itself has been observed with much 

 accuracy by Mr Halliday in the river Annan in Scotland, and 

 by Mr Little in the Bann in Ireland. It is principally accom- 

 plished in the months of November^ December, and January. 

 According to Mr Halliday, when the parent fishes have reach- 

 ed the spawning ground, they proceed to the shallow water, 

 generally in the morning, or at twilight in the evening, where 

 they play round the ground two of them together. After a 

 time they begin to make a furrow by working up the gravel with 

 their noses rather against the stream, as a salmon cannot work 

 with his head down the stream, for the water going then into 

 his gills the wrong way, drowns him. When the furrow is made, 

 the male and female retire to a little distance, one to the one 



• Report I. Apt)endix, p. 17. 



