OUR INLAND FISHERIES. 23 



to the sea. With the first floods in April and May- 

 it begins to drop down the river from pool to pool 

 and from stream to stream in large numbers, and 

 finally reaching the open sea, it for a time is lost to 

 us, and we know little of its habits save that it 

 feeds voraciously while there on small fish and mol- 

 luscs. Some authorities declare that this change and 

 migration does not take place until the fish has 

 achieved its second year, but others maintain that it 

 takes place after one year. Experiment, however, 

 ^las shown that to an extent both are right in their 

 assertions, for it has been proved that while many, 

 and by far the larger number, do migrate at one year, 

 a considerable number do, nevertheless, remain be- 

 hind, and stay in the river for another twelvemonth, 

 migrating at the same period of the year as their 

 more precocious brethren. Why this apparent irre- 

 gularity should take place no one has yet been able 

 to discover, nor has any rule or law whereby such 

 an apparent freak is guided or accounted for yet been 

 satisfactorily established. It having been supposed 

 by Mr. Buist, the experienced superintendent of the 

 Stormontfield experiments in salmon breeding, that 

 this might have happened in consequence of some of 

 the ova or milt being taken from grilse or salmon 

 after only one journey to the sea, he took particular 



