LIFE AND NUMBER OF EGGS OF SALMON. 289 



of which I have made as complete as I can. I hope 

 one of these days to write a separate memoir of my 

 good friend the Salmon. 



I must, however, here give a short outline of the 

 liistory of the sahnon. I consider the salmon to he a 

 sea-fish proper ; nevertheless, this sea-fish ascends the 

 rivers and streams in order to deposit its eggs, for milike 

 other sea-fish it does not hreed in the sea. Secondly. 

 Having ascended to fresh water, it deposits its eggs on 

 gravel, where in due course they hatch out and hecome 

 young fish. Thirdly. These young fish, after a certain 

 time, descend to the sea as smolts in the months of 

 May and June ; some of them migrate the first year, 

 some the second, and some the third. These small fish, 

 having arrived at the sea, remain there a certain time 

 —some a few months, some a year ; they then hegin to 

 return to the river as grilse. The parent salmon, 

 having spawned, descend to the sea in a wretched and 

 miserable condition, many dying on the road. These 

 are called "kelts" or "slats." They then recover 

 their condition and return again to the rivers. In every 

 stage of their existence, salmon are surrounded by 

 enemies innumerable, and it is really wonderful that 

 they do not become extinct. They are, however, so pro- 

 lific, that when care is bestowed upon them, and their 

 enemies kept under as much as possible, they will in- 

 crease in numbers and size in a most wonderful manner. 



Every female salmon, as a rule, carries about 900 

 eggs (the hard roe is the eggs) to a pound of her 

 weight; thus a 361bs. fish w^ould contain 32,400 eggs, 

 a number exceeding the population of Reading, i.e., 

 32,313. A great many casts of salmon containing eggs 

 can be seen at my museum. In all cases the w^eight of 

 the fish and the number of eggs are given. 



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