A LABRADOR SPRING 



considerable proportion of the salmon that 

 spawn early enough, that is to say before 

 the rivers freeze over, return to the sea 

 the same fall. But a very large number winter 

 in the rivers and the lakes drained by them. 

 These are the fish that come down the rivers 

 in the spring as soon as the ice breaks up and 

 until the spring freshets are over." These are 

 called kelts or lingards. While the salmon in 

 October are dark and emaciated, the kelts 

 emerge in April with shining scales, a change 

 which Comeau believes due to a process of 

 moulting the old scales and reproduction of new 

 ones. 



The newly hatched fry are called parrs, which 

 " pass into the smolt stage in their third and 

 fourth year, going out of the rivers in August 

 and September and sometimes in October." 

 In October they range in weight from half a 

 pound to a pound and a half. The next season 

 they ascend the rivers in July, August and 

 September under the name of grilse, weighing 

 then three to five pounds, still small enough 

 to run through the regulation salmon-nets with 

 a mesh of five inches. 



Rivers polluted by saw-mills or in other 



224 



