THE SALMON. 



or any thing else, more especially at such a time 

 when I knew her indisposed to divert herself either 

 with food or frolic. When, note, the more circum- 

 spectly I traced her with my eye to pursue her, the 

 more and greater still was my admiration, because 

 to mark her from place to place, till at last I saw her 

 arrive on a bed of sand, which scarcely, to my ap- 

 prehension, covered her with water ; for I am con- 

 fident it exceeded not the depth of one foot ; where 

 with her tail she wriggled to and fro, so long and 

 oft, till I visibly discovered a flat slaty bluish stone, 

 over which she oft-times contracted her body ; nature 

 provoking her to eject her belly, which at last she 

 accomplished, to my surprising amazement : but this 

 was not all ; for as soon as that project was per- 

 formed by the female with most accurate swiftness, 

 she launched herself forth into the more solid deeps ; 

 which was no sooner performed, when as suddenly 

 I recovered the view of another, as afterwards will 

 appear by the following circumstances : for out of 

 that solitary and profound depth of water, wherein 

 the female had concealed herself, there sprung up a 

 male, or something like him, that swam directly, as 

 if haled with a cord, to that very place where that 

 former fish had ejected her belly (but some call it 

 spawn), and there performed such an admirable office 

 as you will hardly believe, though I tell you the 

 truth. The female, as I told you, has shot her belly 

 upon a large and slaty bluish stone ; and the male, as 

 if by instinct to perform his office, dilates his fins 

 and flutters about, till at last he directs himself over 



