

COMMON SALMON. 255 



exceed the length of three or four inches. They are 

 principally distinguished by having a small, soft fin on 

 the upper part of the body, near the tail. 



Common Salmon. These fish, at a certain season of 

 the year, pass from the sea up the rivers, for the 

 purpose of depositing their spawn in places far out of 

 the reach of the salt water. In these peregrinations 

 they are observed to brave every danger, and frequently 

 even to spring to the top of cataracts, and overleap 

 obstacles which are several yards in height. Arrived at 

 the barrier which opposes their progress, they swim 

 a few paces back, survey it motionless for some minutes, 

 retreat, and again return ; then curving strongly their 

 body, and collecting all their force, with one astonishing 

 leap surmount and overcome the difficulty. It is in 

 these voyages that the Salmon are caught which supply 

 our markets and tables. After they have deposited 

 their spawn they return to the sea, and are in so lean 

 and emaciated a state, that their flesh would be nearly 

 as unpalatable for food as carrion. In this state their 

 powers of motion also are so weak, that, lying in holes 

 near the banks of a river, I have seen them turned 

 round with a pole or stick, without appearing to have 

 any power either of escape or resistance. Salmon prey 

 upon fish, worms, and insects. The Salmon which are 

 caught in the river Thames are accounted better than 

 those produced from any other river in England, and 

 generally bring a most extravagant price at the London 

 markets. The Severn Salmon are usually considered to 

 be earlier in season than any other, though they are cer- 

 tainly not so early as those of some parts of Scotland 

 and Ireland. At Berwick vast quantities of Salmon are 

 annually caught, These are pickled, packed in small 



