SALMON OF NOVA SCOTIA—GILPIN. 4] 
Fisheries wrote me to explain why he had never captured 
Grilse in Maine, whilst we took them in the Shubenacadie. 
I could only refer him to Couche’s British Fishes. No Grilse 
are taken in the Severn, but many in the Scotch rivers. The 
real reason is, I fancy, that though they ascend all rivers, 
yet some physical difference in each river makes it more or less 
a place of better observation. Thanks to the marking of Smolts 
in the breeding stations, we have long been enabled to connect 
the Smolt of a few- ounces and about six inches long running 
to sea in May, with the Grilse weighing three or four pounds, 
and a foot and a half long running to fresh water in September. 
The enormous growth during that period is remarkable. 
The next stage in the Salmon life to which I will point your 
attention, will be as he appears during spring and summer in 
the Halifax market. The first sea-run fish is ustally taken 
about Yarmouth or Mahone Bay, in March. I have heard of one 
in February ; indeed an Indian told me whilst fishing for trout 
through the ice in a mill-pond a mile from tide-way, he caught an 
ocean-run Salmon of ten pounds on New Year's day. He assured 
me it was an ocean fish, and indeed the fact of its taking bait 
would almost prove it. The Indian Saul took ocean-run Salmon 
by fly in January, Shelburne River, according to the Editor of 
Porest and Stream, New York, in a letter to me. During April, 
May and June they continue to run, and our markets are well 
supplied until July. As I wish this paper to be complete I will 
repeat from my paper of 1866, the description: 
“The description of a fresh run of fish from the ocean as they appear in Spring, 
from our markets, would be: Weight from six pounds up to twenty. Head very: 
small, body very deep, and at the same time round or thick through, back very 
muscular and tail strongly based. The opercle is circular onits outside edge. 
The free end of the upper maxilla also rounded. In both these parts they differ 
from trouts, the eye rather small and abcut two and one-half diameters from 
tip of nose, the nostril double. The outline of back round up from the head 
then runs gradually upwards to dorsal fin, the dorsal is irregularly rhomboidal. 
The adipose fin commences opposite the fifth ray of the anal, its posterior edge- 
opposite its last ray. The tail is very strong, and the outline of back runs from 
dorsal to tail, descending in an equal curve with the rise anterior to dorsal. The 
belly runs in an outline similar to the back. The colour is hlack along the 
back running into steel blue with green reflections to lateral line, all below is 
silvery. The head and opercle are on the upper part dark blue, on the lower. 
