THE SALMON FAMILY. 217 



to be deposited therein, and also upon the hardness or softness 

 of the gravel which has to be excavated. The harder the 

 gravel-bed, the shorter the spawning-bed, for then the succes- 

 sion of nests will be more compact, and take up less space, 

 whether in length or width. 



" A single pair of Salmon may be forced to form distinct 

 beds, in different spots. For instance, they have commenced 

 spawning in a stream two feet in depth more or less, and 

 whilst so engaged, the river falls so low, that they cannot 

 continue to work in the first selected spot, for want of water 

 wherein freely to move. When this happens they will drop 

 lower down, or at any rate retire elsewhere, in search of 

 deeper running water. Other causes may induce them, e. g., 

 floods, to have recourse to the formation of a second bed, in a 

 spot suited for it. 



•' Thinking as I do the laying and impregnating, covering 

 up and hatching of Salmon-eggs — I use plain words pur- 

 posely — most interesting points in the history of our River- 

 king, I will not, if I can, leave anything connected with 

 them untouched. When I do not state facts, I will brins: 

 forward deductions, and, as it were, circumstantial evidence, 

 as convincing to the reasoning mind as fact itself We 

 have seen that the bed, or trench, in which Salmon deposit 

 their spawn, is made bit by bit, and no doubt the inquiring- 

 reader will ask why? I have, I hope, a ready and satis- 

 factory answer. The ova of the female Salmon are not 

 mature all at the same time. That portion of them next the 

 vent becomes first ripe for deposition, whilst the part in the 

 pectoral regions is immature. In consequence, the ova can 

 be deposited by piecemeal only, and that is one of the chief 

 reasons why the Salmon-bed consists of a succession of exca- 

 vations, the first for the reception of the ova next the vent 

 which are already mature ; the second for the ova that will 



