n8 THE HABITS OF THE SALMON. 



that river, and that as many as twenty had been 

 caught in one night in the eel traps. To satisfy me 

 of their presence at that time (the latter end of 

 September), he put up a trout rod, and soon caught 

 a small fish, not a brown trout parr, but an unmis- 

 takable salmon parr, which, although it had none of 

 the silvery appearance of a smolt, upon close inspec- 

 tioe gave me the idea that the process of donning 

 its bathing dress, as a well-known author not 

 inappropriately puts it, had already commenced. 

 Browne informed me that, when the fishing opened 

 in February, all these little fish had disappeared, and 

 that none of them were seen again until near the 

 time of their spring voyage. He remarked that the 

 number in winter was very limited in comparison with 

 that in spring. I have since received a consignment 

 of fish which were caught in the eel-traps in the 

 Galway river in December, 1887, and on forwarding 

 them to Dr. Gunther, he pronounced them to be 

 samlets. 



We have, therefore, evidence amounting to abso- 



