52 The Salmon 
than clean fish, for no matter how many floods there are the kelts 
remain in the river until they choose to leave, the greater part of them 
descending during April, while from 15th April till 15th July fish 
eagerly push forward, few remaining in tidal water. From 15th July fish 
begin to rest from 6 to 10 miles above tidal water, each succeeding 
week running more slowly and increasing in numbers in the pools, and 
as the season advances they begin to rest in the tidal water itself. About 
the end of September, although they are newly from the salt water 
and have sea-lice on them, they begin to turn a little red in colour, 
the spawn increases in size, and they hurry forward with every little 
freshet. By the end of October they begin to look out for spawning 
ground, leave the rocky pools, and run up the smaller streams and 
burns. Although a few begin to spawn in the beginning of November, 
it is not until the middle of that month that spawning becomes general. 
During spawning time the female becomes very unshapely and black, 
and the male red, orange, and black. Their noses become extended, 
some of them three or four inches; the lower jaw also lengthens and 
a large hook is formed at the end of it as thick as a man’s finger. This 
fits into the upper jaw, and sometimes almost penetrates it. This 
extension of the upper and the lower jaw prevents the mouth from 
closing, and a large opening is shown at each side of the mouth. It 
has not yet been ascertained what purpose this knob and extension 
of the upper jaw serves. Some say it is intended for fighting during 
the spawning season ; but it must be a poor weapon of defence, as it 
would prevent the fish’s teeth from coming in contact with its foe. 
Others say the enlargement of the head is for digging up the gravel ; 
but this is not the case, as the male fish does not dig up the gravel. 
After spawning time this knob gradually decreases in size, and the 
extended part has again regained its normal size by the time the fish 
has returned to salt water. 
There are many different and erroneous opinions as to how fish 
spawn. Having been brought up on the banks of a river where thousands 
of fish spawned every year, I had ample opportunity of observing them, 
and I studied them almost every day each winter for over twenty years. 
