History and Habits ii 



ing of salmon, I include Canada — the stay of 

 smolts in the sea is supposed to be at least ten 

 months. The exception to this, if any exists, is 

 in the case of the smolts which have been ob- 

 served going to the sea in the early spring as 

 above mentioned in the Restigouche, and they 

 may do the same in other rivers, though I have 

 never heard of it. These fish possibly return as 

 grilse the same year, and could do so and still 

 have as much time in the sea as many of the 

 British smolts devote to that visit before seekine 

 the fresh water. I am not aware that any of 

 these spring migrating smolts have ever been 

 marked so that they could be identified with 

 returning grilse, but many of those which go 

 down to the sea in August and September have 

 been marked, and are known to have come back 

 to the river in ten or twelve months as grilse, 

 weighing from two and one-half to five pounds. 

 I think it beyond question that the grilse ascend- 

 ing American rivers have averaged a much 

 longer time in the salt water than their British 

 relatives, and yet are smaller in weight, the con- 

 ditions of both in the sea being probably nearly 

 identical. I have never seen a grilse in Canada 

 of above six pounds, while in Britain ten pounds 



