86 THE SALMON. 



is so great, that a blow of it has been known to upset a 

 small fishing-boat. 



This fish is believed to attain to one hundred years 

 or upwards. Its enormous size, and slow growth, make 

 this very probable, but certain proofs of the fact are 

 wanting. 



The young silurus takes the hook freely when baited with 

 insects, &c., and when in confinement, may be fed either on 

 fish or vegetable matter. 



The Salmon (Lax, Sw. ; Salmo Salar, Linn.) was 

 abundant in the Gotha during the season, but not higher 

 up than the deep pools immediately below the magnificent 

 falls of Trollhattan (unless, indeed, a chance one made 

 its way through the twelve or fourteen sluices at that 

 place, a thing little likely to happen), their great height 

 opposing an insurmountable barrier to its farther pro- 

 gress. The salmon is also very common in all the Scandi- 

 navian rivers from Scania to Lapland, as well in those 

 falling into the Baltic as in those which discharge themselves 

 into the North Sea and Cattegat. The fish found in the 

 streams flowing to the westward, however, according to 

 Swedish naturalists, are the fatter of the two, which if 

 really the case, is properly attributable to the superior salt- 

 ness of the water. 



The salmon is readily attracted by bright objects, and 

 hence the adoption of the torch during the night-time, to 

 beguile him to his destruction. The Norwegian fishermen, 

 taking a hint from this known fact, therefore suspend sheets, 

 or whitewash the rocks in the vicinity of the nets, or 

 instead of rocks erect white boards, called Laxe-blikke 

 (freely translated, salmon attractors), thereby to represent 



