RESULTS OF SALMON MARKING 79 



fish appeared still to be a slat or kelt, and showed 

 no increase in weight (7 lb.). In view of the rather 

 peculiar nature of the estuary in which the fish was 

 found, Mr. Holt suggests that possibly the fish had 

 no intention of leaving the sea for fresh water, but 

 having found its way into the basin of the river 

 mouth during spring tides, had found its retreat cut 

 oif. In view of this explanation, the record is similar 

 to a privately marked Scottish fish which travelled 

 from the Grimersta on the west side of the island of 

 Lewis to Castletown, which is on the coast east of 

 Thurso, 145 miles distant. The fish was marked by 

 Mr. Byres-Leek, "J. B.-L. 10," in March 1902, 

 when a kelt. Five months afterwards, i.e., in 

 August, when recaptured at Castletown, it was still 

 a kelt. I have the specimen preserved, as an August 

 kelt is in my experience unique, and this fish showed 

 not only the lank condition, but the abrasions below 

 the jaws and on the ventral surface of the body, so 

 commonly associated with the recently spent fish. 

 Like D 95, the fish was a male, and it seems pro- 

 bable that the kelt condition may have subsisted 

 through the fish having been originally perhaps only 

 half spent, and having afterwards entered some river 

 on the north coast of Scotland, such as the Naver, 

 Polla, Halladale, or Thurso, in its journey along the 

 Pentland Firth, and then only at a later date com- 

 pleted the shedding of its milt. There is, I think, 

 a fair amount of evidence to suggest that under the 

 most ordinary conditions the male fish which we see 

 paired with females at spawning time do not com- 

 plete the shedding of their milt, or do not always do 



