SALMON FRY. 235 



thoroughly their health, to grow and fatten in 

 submarine feeding fields. In from 100 to 140 

 days the ova are hatched. The foetus at first is 

 like a large larva with a little sack of nutritious 

 vitelline matter attached to its neck. On this it 

 lives for about a month, when the sack disappears, 

 the foetus assumes a fish shape, and is able to seek 

 for food for itself amongst the gravel. At two 

 months the fry is perfectly shaped, and strongly 

 marked with transverse bars, and pink spots along 

 the lateral line. The transverse bars are erro- 

 neously called " parr " marks ; some naturalists 

 confounding the salmon fry with the diminutive 

 trout called the " parr." At two months the fry 

 eagerly feed upon flies on the surface of the 

 water, and small worms or larvae at the bottom. 

 It goes on slowly increasing in size until it is a 

 year old, when the transverse bar marks disappear, 

 and it assumes a silvery exterior covering of small 

 scales, called its " migrating " coat. It is now a 

 smolt ; and with the first moderate flood it takes 

 its maiden trip to the sea. It feeds therein from 

 two to four months on an average, and then immi- 

 grates to its natal river a " grilse." In the ensuing 

 autumn or winter it breeds for the first time, and 

 returns again to the sea. Having sojourned there 

 the requisite time, it immigrates for the first time, 

 and is now an adult, though not an aged salmon.' 

 It would be impossible to write more correctly 



