Bkeeding Salmon and TKout. 63 



plough up the gravel, but I have uever seen it done. I have had 

 more opportunities of closely watching large trout on the spawn- 

 ing beds than salmon, therefore do not like to speak positively. 

 The male fish takes up his position a little way behind the female, 

 and gives his attention to keeping off intruders. I have seen a 

 male *rout of a pound rush at an intruder of twice his size like a 

 tiger and drive him away, and then draw up beside his mate, and 

 I fancy whisper to her that it is all right now, that he will protect 

 her, and that she can go on with her business without fear of in- 

 terruption ; then drop back to his place, or take a little cruise 

 around just to see that nobody is lurking about who has no busi- 

 ness there. Gradually the eg-gs are deposited with much swishing 

 of tail, and covei^ed over with gravel. This may take more or 

 less time according- to circumstances. Sometimes a flood comes 

 down and plays terrible mischief. Sometimes the water falls in 

 and leaves the bed high and dry, and the eggs perish. What the 

 percentage of eggs that hatch out may be who can tell 1 but in 

 some years I fear it must be very small. And when the poor 

 little things come out of the egg they have indeed a bad time of 

 it. Minnows, and sticklebacks, and trout g'obble them up as soon 

 as they can swim. Ducks and certain crawling things which live 

 amongst the stones feed on them before they have absorbed their 

 umbilical sack. Kingfishers sit on overhanging boughs and watch 

 for them. Herons fill themselves with them, and worse than all, 

 when returning next year to the sea as kelts, their mamma's and 

 papa's devour them as pike would. Verily, it is strange that any 

 of them ever reach the sea or live to come back again. 



Some of the earliest experiments in the artificial rearing of 

 salmon were made in Nithsdale by ISIr Shaw, the head keeper at 

 Drumlanrig, and he it was who fired me with a desire to discover 

 sometliing of the ways of salmon and trout. He succeeded in 

 rearing little fishes from the egg, and thus proved beyond all 

 possibility of doubt that parr were young salmon. Many people 

 in those days declared that parr were young trout. Even as late 

 as 35 years ago I was flatly contradicted on the question, but 

 fortunately was able to prove that I was right. After my com- 

 panion and I had finished our discussion on salmon and their ways 

 we talked on other things, and then went for a walk in the 

 garden. Suddenly I said, '* By the way, I have some little fish I 

 want to show you. I wish you could tell me what they are." We 



