J 0^ SALMONID^. 



an instance of one being taken in the Wye with a minnow ; and 

 Sir Humphrey Davy states he has fished for them in the Tay 

 with great success, with the Parr, probably their own young fry, 

 on spinning tackle. 



For what they mistake the large artificial fly, by which they 

 are so marvellously allured, taking it greedily, at a very short 

 distance from the sea, we cannot determine. It is like nothing 

 that has any existence in nature ; and some persons have ima- 

 gined that the Salmon is deceived by the gay colours and the 

 ripple of the water, and so takes them for small fish. This is 

 not credible, however; and the most plausible suggestion is 

 that of Sir Humphrey Davy, that the fish, on their return from 

 salt water, where, of course, they find nothing analogous to the 

 natural or artificial fly, are actuated " by a sort of imperfect 

 recollection of their early food and habits ; for flies form a great 

 part of the food of the Salmon-fry, which, for a month or two 

 after they are hatched, feed like young Troiits, — and in March 

 and April the spring flies are their principal nourishment. In 

 going back to fresh water, they may perhaps have their habits 

 of feeding recalled to them, and naturally search for their food 

 at the surface.'^ 



While I am on this topic, it may not be uninteresting to 

 quote the relation of an experiment tried with regard to the 

 efi'ect of various kinds of food on the Trout, as it is probable 

 that, in fish so closely allied, the facts would not vary much in 

 relation to the Salmon. 



Mr. Stoddart relates this, in his "Art of Angling as practised 

 in Scotland ;" but the experiment was made in the south of 

 England : " Fish were placed in three separate tanks ; one 



