SALMON. 49 



on the west side of the Cascades flowing into the 

 Fraser, on the banks of which I was for a long 

 time encamped, and up which the salmon come 

 in great numbers, I amused myself watching 

 this species of salmon (Salmo paucidens) de- 

 posit their spawn. It was in August, the water 

 clear as crystal, the bottom a fine brown 

 gravel. A trench, that looked about three or 

 four inches deep and three feet long, was 

 muzzled out bv the noses of the females. A 



f 



female fish poised herself over the trench, head 

 up-stream, and by a rapid vibration of her 

 fins kept herself nearly still ; this lasted about 

 a minute and a half or two minutes, during 

 which time a quantity of ova were deposited. 

 She then darted off like an arrow ; four males 

 at once took her place over the spawn-bed, and 

 remained, just as the female had done, about 

 two minutes. On their leaving two females 

 came, and were followed by the males, as before. 

 The water was^ about four feet deep. I am 

 quite sure, from often watching these streams, 

 that one spawning-bed is used by a great many 

 males and females : it was both curious and in- 

 teresting to watch the extreme regularity with 

 which the sexes succeeded each other. 



The question as to what becomes of the young 



VOL. I. E 



