-j-i 



ti-h ili:ii he can capture in his own waters, simph tliat they ma\ n.i p;ivx into those ,,f hi* 

 neighbor. 



The preservation of this noble fish is truly a subject nf national iiiqM.rtance. and it is to be 

 hojied tliat. by judicious legislation ami active administration of the law, the Salmon mas i\,, 

 longer be the rich man's lu\ur\. l>nt again li<>l<l its legitimate place as the poor man'- < -In -ap 

 sulsistence. 



Tin- life history of the Salmon is very interest ini:. ami in in my parts not a little in 

 terioiis. In the short space which is allowable for tin- subject. 1 will endeavor t.i tnicc tin- life 

 of a Salmon from its earliest entrance into tin- world to its exit therefrom : putting forward no 

 particular theories, hut merely enumerating \\. iit.il ol>servati<ms that have Ix-en made 



on this curious subject. 



\\"e will begin with the cradle that is prepare<l for the expected brood. This is n groove 

 in tin- gravelly lied of a river, ami is M-(H.|HN! nut l>\ om- or Ixdli of the parents. Kv.-u ln>re a 



diaen-jiani-y exists betwt-.-n jir.icti.-al nlt^-rvi-rs. soi f whom av.-r that tin- groove is ma.le by 



both jKirents, by means ..f n.tin^ \\itli tlu-ir nows in the frronml : otln-i-s that tin- male Salmon 

 coops out the jrravi-1 \\ithahook-like app<-nilae that is tlr\f)npi-<l on his chin during the 

 bretxling-eeason ; while others d.-,-lan- that tin- mal.- m-v.T troubles himself alnmt the laln.rof 

 ooo]iin^ the groove, his duty U-iiii,' t<> watch over his mate and to light any other lish of his 

 ow n s-x and six-t-i.-s u ho may intrude upon their home, and that the whole task devolves II|HMI 

 the female, who executes it l,y twirling her tail and not by grubJiing with her snout. 



The \\hole processof depositing the iinmer>u- -ipies on the average alnuit ten days, 



and, after i; is accomplished, the parent fish leave the eggs to IM- hatched by surrounding 

 influences, while th.-y themselves quit the spot and i. main in the river for a short ]>eriod 

 while they n -cover from the exhaustion <-:nis.-d by the process. During this j>eriod they are 

 unusually r.ivenoiis. an 1 \:i>t quantities of the young of their own kind, which are about that 

 time abundant in the river, fall victims to their insatiable apjietite. After a time, and about 

 the months of March and April, they dropdown from pool to jool, in any Hood which may 

 seem favorable to them, until they reach the sea, where they are supposed to remain from -i\ 

 weeks to three or four months, \\heii they again seek the river, vastly increased in weight and 

 improved in condition. 



The Salmon must be eaten fresh. If it be cooked within an hour or two after U-ing taken 

 from the \\ater.a fatty substance termed the "curd." is found U-twi-en the Hakes of flesh. If, 

 however, more than twelve hours have elapsed from the death of the fish, the curd is not to be 

 seen, and the Salmon is much deteriorated in the judgment of epicures. 



The size of this fish is extremely variable, some specimens having l>een caught that 

 weighed sixty pounds, and Mr. Yanvll mentions one case where a female Salmon was captured 

 and was remarkable for weighing eighty-three pounds. This great weight was owing more 

 to the depth and thickness of the fish than the length. 



The Salmon is common to all rivers of the Atlantic coast north of Cape Cod. It is found 

 only in the coldest waters, and is equally distributed in Europe and America. It is not 

 plentiful now south of the St. Lawrence River. The numerous dams have been a potent cause 

 of their scarcity. 



A large number of species have come to light in late years over the northern portions 

 of the continent. 



The mountain streams of the Great West afford abundance of Salmon trout. 



Several Pacific Ocean Salmons are known. 



The Grayling (Thymattu*) is an allied form ; two species were found in the rivers and 

 hikes of Michigan. 



\V n 1 1 1: FISH (Correganu* clupt\f0rmi9\ This is a notable food-Ash of the Great Lakes ; 

 most hiirhly prized. Numbers of species an- also known in the lakes. 



The SMEI.T (Otmenu mordax) is a well-known food-fish, hiirhly prized by some. Its 

 mnge is from Nova s,.,tia to Hatteras. In the fall, when the frost-fish or torn-cod is 

 appearing, the Smelt come in vast numbers. It is a small fish, yet it is caught by hook. 



VOL. UL-m. 



