THE SALMON FAMILY 57 



obstacle which bars his progress to the spawning 

 grounds. When the salmon first leaves the sea this 

 apparently aimless leaping into the air may be due to 

 his endeavours to get rid of the sea lice which cover his 

 body, but later when these parasites have dropped off 

 in the fresh water, it is difficult to explain the reason 

 for his gymnastic feats, except by the fact that the 

 fish is uncomfortable in fresh water. 



It certainly does not add to the prospect of killing 

 a fish when salmon are jumping all around ; but there 

 are few who are not fascinated by his movements. 



Watch him as he leaps out of the water ; frequently 

 he shoots up as straight as an arrow, then by a quick 

 turn he will again cleave the water with his head as 

 neatly as an expert diver. At other times he will twist 

 into a complete circle, sending a spray of water off his 

 body. 



In the autumn, salmon, like the brown trout, repair 

 to the spawning beds, often going up into such shallow 

 water that the fins on their backs appear above the 

 surface. The spawning usually takes place in November 

 and December, and this quite irrespective of when the 

 fish left the sea to come into fresh water. The actual 

 shedding of the eggs may take several days. First, the 

 female fish lies on her side and fans away the gravel with 

 her tail, so as to make a trench into which she deposits 

 a portion of her eggs ; the male, following after her, 

 fertilises the eggs, which are again covered over with 

 gravel as the fish move along. When the spawning is 



