166 EXTENT OF SPAWNING SEASON. 



drive away every fish that may come within their 

 vicinity. 



The spawning season extends over a period at 

 least of six continuous months. On an average — 

 I am referring to the majority of our great salmon 

 rivers, no matter where situate in the empire — it 

 commences about the middle of September, and 

 ends about the middle of the following March. 

 Perhaps, I should have said, " it would commence 

 about the middle of September," for in some rivers 

 it cannot, except in rare isolated instances com- 

 mence so early, viz., in those that are netted up 

 to the 1 4th of that month, and so up to that period 

 have nearly all their early spawners killed. 



The first fish that appear on the spawning-beds 

 are grilse, or young salmon of the previous year's 

 incubation, or of the two last months of the year 

 before that ; and they are generally the precursors 

 of mature salmon, that is of fish in their third 

 year or upwards. From the middle of September, 

 when grilse and salmon are first observed upon 

 the shallows, or spawning localities, they increase 

 daily in number up to about the first of December. 

 The process of spawning is at its height from the 

 middle of November to the middle of December. 

 The substance of these observations is properly 

 only applicable to those rivers — His Grace the 



