418 MR. F. DAT ON THE BREEDING OF SALMON FROM PARENTS 



in the gravel and there place their eggs or spawn, after the milter has done his natural 

 office, and then hide it most cunningly and cover it over with gravel and stones. 

 ' Kippers ' have bony gristle growing out of their lower jaws, and may live one year from 

 the sea, but pine and die the second year. Little Salmons called ' Skeggers,' which 

 abound in many rivers, are bred by such sick Salmons that might not go to the sea, and 

 though they abound they never thrive to any considerable bigness." 



Willughby *, quoting a communication to Gesner, tells us that generally about the 

 end of November Salmon ascend for breeding purposes up rivers to their ailluents, where 

 the eggs are deposited and the young born ; these latter are termed " samlets," while the 

 old fish descend to the sea. 



Ray t observed that Salmon are born in the rivers, whence they descend to the sea. 



Pontoppidan (' Natural History of Norway,' 1755, Chapter vi. p. 131) remarks that 

 Willughby "also confutes Gesner's opinion, concerning the Salmon's breeding in the 

 sea: he thinks that is done in fresh water, from whence they afterwards go to the sea; 

 but in this he is certainly mistaken. The Salmon unquestionably breeds in the sea, 

 though it is not entirely to be denied that they may sometimes breed in rivers also, 

 for they are found in the midst of Germany, and upper parts of the Rhine, about Basel; 

 but we are very well assured that the Salmon chiefly ejects its roe at the mouth of rivers, 

 where they empty themselves into the sea, or a little way beyond, in the salt water, in 

 this manner: they bend themselves crooked, in order to eject the roe at an aperture 

 under the belly, and in the mean time they stick their heads down in the sand, that they 

 may have the more strength. The male comes presently after, to keep off other fish 

 from devouring the roe, and he then bends his head towards the tail, and ejects his 

 sperm upon the roe." 



Passing over the numerous authors who have merely reproduced the remarks of those 

 who have preceded thein, we are told by Yarrell J that about the end of 1830 water was 

 first turned into a certain pond 3 or 4 acres in extent, situated in Scotland, and in 

 April 1831 one or two dozens of small Salmon fry, 3 or 4 inches long, were taken out of 

 the river and turned in. In 1833 the first fishing was allowed and several Salmon were 

 taken with the fly from 2 lbs. to 3 lbs. in weight ; all were perfectly well shaped and filled 

 up, of the best salmon-colour outside, the flesh well flavoured and well coloured, though 

 a little paler than that of new run fish. The same author § remarked that " a knowledge 



of the growth of young Salmon in a freshwater lake m ^y be useful to those 



gentlemen who possess lakes near Salmon rivers, from which they can supjfiy them with 

 Pinks : whether the Salmon thus prevented going to salt water will still retain sufficient 

 constitutional powers to mature their roe, and by depositing it in the usual manner, as 

 far as circumstances permit, produce their species, would be a subject worthy of further 

 investigation." 



Knox observes (Proc. Linn. Soc. ii. p. 358, Dec. 19, 1854) that "From the time the Salmon 

 enters the fresh water it ceases to feed, properly speaking, although it may occasionally 

 rise to a fly or be tempted to attack a worm or a minnow, in accordance seemingly with 



* 'De Historia Piscium,' 1686. t ' Synopsis Methodica Piscium,' 17K'>, p. 63. 



I ' British Fishes' (Edition 2), ii. p. 17. § L. c. (Ed. 2), ii. p. 10. 



