12 SCIENCE SKETCHES. 



to the left, but swimming right on up-stream just 

 as rapidly as they could. And these great salmon 

 would not stop for them, and would not lie and float 

 with the current. They had no time to talk, even 

 in the simple sign-language by which fishes express 

 their ideas, and no time to eat. They had im- 

 portant work before them, and the time was short. 

 So they went on up the river, keeping their great 

 purposes to themselves ; and our little salmon and 

 his friends from the Cowlitz drifted down the 

 stream. 



By-and-by the water began to change. It grew 

 denser, and no longer flowed rapidly along; and 

 twice a day it used to turn about and flow the other 

 way. Then the shores disappeared, and the water 

 began to have a different and peculiar flavor, — a 

 flavor which seemed to the salmon much richer and 

 more inspiring than the glacier-water of their native 

 Cowlitz. There were many curious things to see, 

 — crabs with hard shells and savage faces, but so 

 good when crushed and swallowed ! Then there 

 were luscious squid swimming about; and, to a 

 salmon, squid are like ripe peaches and cream. 

 There were great companies of delicate sardines 

 and herring, green and silvery, and it was such 

 fun to chase and capture them ! Those who eat 

 sardines packed in oil by greasy fingers, and 

 herrings dried in the smoke, can have little idea 

 how satisfying it is to have a meal of them, plump 

 and sleek and silvery, fresh from the sea. 



Thus the salmon chased the herrings about, and 

 had a merry time. Then they were chased about 

 in turn by great sea-lions, — swimming monsters 



