﻿THE 
  ATLANTIC 
  SALMON. 
  

  

  DESCRIPTION 
  OF 
  THE 
  FISH. 
  

  

  The 
  body 
  of 
  tlie 
  Atlantic 
  salmon 
  {Salmo 
  solar) 
  is 
  moderately 
  elongate 
  

   and 
  but 
  little 
  compressed; 
  the 
  greatest 
  depth 
  is 
  about 
  one-fourth 
  the 
  

   total 
  length 
  without 
  the 
  caudal 
  fin. 
  The 
  length 
  of 
  the 
  head 
  is 
  about 
  

   equal 
  to 
  the 
  body 
  depth. 
  The 
  mouth 
  is 
  of 
  moderate 
  size, 
  the 
  maxillary 
  

   reaching 
  just 
  past 
  the 
  eye, 
  its 
  length 
  contained 
  2^ 
  or 
  3 
  times 
  in 
  the 
  

   head. 
  The 
  scales 
  are 
  comparatively 
  large, 
  becoming 
  embedded 
  in 
  adult 
  

   males; 
  the 
  number 
  in 
  the 
  lateral 
  line 
  is 
  about 
  120, 
  with 
  23 
  above 
  and 
  

   21 
  below 
  that 
  line. 
  The 
  dorsal 
  fin 
  has 
  11 
  rays 
  and 
  the 
  anal 
  9 
  rays. 
  The 
  

   pyloric 
  cceca 
  number 
  about 
  65. 
  

  

  The 
  color, 
  like 
  the 
  form, 
  varies 
  with 
  sex, 
  age, 
  food, 
  and 
  condition. 
  

   The 
  adult 
  is 
  brownish 
  above 
  and 
  silvery 
  on 
  the 
  sides, 
  with 
  numerous 
  

   small 
  black 
  spots, 
  often 
  x 
  or 
  xx 
  shaped, 
  on 
  the 
  head, 
  body, 
  and 
  fins, 
  

   and 
  with 
  red 
  patches 
  along 
  the 
  sides 
  in 
  the 
  male. 
  Young 
  salmon 
  (parrs) 
  

   have 
  about 
  11 
  dusky 
  crossbars, 
  besides 
  black 
  and 
  red 
  spots. 
  

  

  RANGE. 
  

  

  The 
  salmon 
  native 
  to 
  the 
  rivers 
  of 
  the 
  northeastern 
  United 
  States 
  is 
  

   specifically 
  identical 
  with 
  the 
  salmon 
  of 
  Europe 
  and 
  all 
  the 
  affluents 
  of 
  

   the 
  Korth 
  Atlantic. 
  Its 
  original 
  natural 
  range 
  in 
  America 
  appears 
  to 
  

   have 
  been 
  from 
  Labrador 
  or 
  Hudson 
  Bay 
  on 
  the 
  north 
  to 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  

   New 
  York 
  on 
  the 
  south. 
  Within 
  these 
  limits, 
  at 
  the 
  ])roper 
  season 
  of 
  the 
  

   year, 
  it 
  ascended, 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  reproduction, 
  nearly 
  every 
  river 
  

   except 
  those 
  that 
  did 
  not 
  aftbrd 
  the 
  requisite 
  facilities 
  for 
  depositing 
  

   spawn 
  or 
  were 
  inaccessible 
  by 
  reason 
  of 
  impassable 
  falls 
  near 
  their 
  

   mouths. 
  

  

  In 
  American 
  rivers 
  frequented 
  by 
  Atlantic 
  salmon 
  they 
  were 
  found 
  

   successively 
  in 
  all 
  parts 
  from 
  the 
  mouth 
  upward, 
  their 
  migrations 
  extend- 
  

   ing 
  nearly 
  to 
  the 
  headwaters 
  of 
  all 
  the 
  branches 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  they 
  were 
  

   accessible 
  and 
  adapted 
  to 
  their 
  necessities. 
  The 
  one 
  exception 
  is 
  the 
  

   liver 
  St. 
  Lawrence, 
  where 
  it 
  seems 
  probable, 
  from 
  such 
  evidence 
  as 
  is 
  

   available, 
  that 
  few 
  if 
  any 
  salmon 
  entering 
  the 
  river 
  from 
  the 
  sea 
  ever 
  

   ascended 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  Lake 
  Ontario, 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  salmon 
  inhabiting 
  that 
  lake 
  

   and 
  its 
  tributaries 
  have 
  always, 
  as 
  a 
  rule, 
  made 
  the 
  lake 
  their 
  sea 
  and 
  

   the 
  limit 
  of 
  their 
  downward 
  migrations. 
  Within 
  or 
  partly 
  within 
  the 
  

   limits 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  there 
  can 
  be 
  enumerated 
  twenty-eight 
  rivers 
  

   that 
  were 
  beyond 
  doubt 
  naturally 
  frequented 
  by 
  salmon, 
  beginning 
  witii 
  

  

  27 
  

  

  