150 LAKES AND RIVERS. 



Salmon to be "a sea-fish proper," but as it spends so 

 much of its existence in fresh water, and always 

 ascends rivers to breed, it must be considered as 

 much of a fresh as of a salt-water fish. They deposit 

 their eggs in the winter. When the rivers are flooded 

 and the weirs in the rivers are covered with water, the 

 Salmon ascend, for the quantity of water enables them 

 to swim over these and other obstacles. The rush of 

 water purifies the stream, and makes it more suitable 

 for the habitat of these large fish. "The young 



THE SALMON. 



come out of the egg with their food provided for 

 them in their umbilical vesicle." When this store is 

 exhausted, they are old enough to supply themselves 

 with food, and then feed chiefly on insects. The 

 young salmon in the stage called Smolts 1 in the 

 months of May or June, pass down the river to the 

 sea, where they remain for some months, perhaps even 

 a year ; they then ascend the river as grilse to deposit 

 their eggs. " A female salmon," Mr. Buckland says, 

 "carries about 900 eggs to a pound of her weight." A 

 heavy fish might have 30,000 eggs. Were it not for 

 the enormous fecundity of fish many species would 



1 The stages of the Salmon are parr, smolt, grilse, and salmon. 



