THE SALMON FAMILY 69 



very submissive state, and then the gillie waded in to 

 make a closer inspection. This inspection confirmed our 

 suspicions, and the kelt was tailed and lifted on to the 

 bank. As soon as she was landed, as so often happens 

 after a good fight, the fly dropped out of her mouth. 

 She was a beautiful fish, but undoubtedly a kelt, so 

 back she had to go ! For several minutes she lay quite 

 still in the shallow water, until I waded in and gave 

 her a touch, then with a violent swish of her tail she 

 shot like an arrow into the deep water, to get, I hope, 

 safe and sound to sea. 



We then drank the health of the kelt and to our 

 next merry meeting, when she came back as a clean 

 run forty-pounder. 



There are certain problems in connection with the 

 habits of salmon which are always a fruitful source of 

 controversy, viz. : — 



Do salmon return to the river in which they hatch ? 

 Do they fast while in fresh water ? If they fast, why 

 do they take a fly or other lure ? 



The examination of marked fish points to the fact 

 that salmon, as a rule, do return to the river in which 

 they were hatched ; but this is due to the fact that it 

 is exceptional for salmon to roam far in the sea, and 

 when the time again comes round for them to spawn, 

 the river from which they have descended is probably 

 the nearest fresh water. 



With regard to the question as to whether salmon 

 feed in fresh water, the evidence in support of the fact 



