26 AMERICAN GAME FISHES. 



son of the Salmon is in autumn, and when they have fulfilled 

 the requirements of nature they remain in the rivers for a 

 greater or less period, according to the time of their arrival 

 and impregnation, and drop back to the sea again in spring. 

 Usually there is a spring run of Salmon which follow the 

 sand-worms and herring-sile, and other shore food, into the 

 estuaries and up into the rivers, often remaining until the 

 water runs low and becomes too warm for comfort, when 

 they drop back to the sea again. Later on come the Grilse, 

 or Adolescent Salmon, some of them already in full sexual 

 maturity, and after them the mid-summer and autumn runs 

 of old fish. 



The bulk of the Salmon run up in autumn for spawning 

 purposes, only the earlier runs being for change of water and 

 diet, and for sanitary purposes, as has already been stated. 

 A flood or a "spate" always starts the fish up-stream, and 

 then the fish take the fly or bait best. A great deal of bosh 

 has been written in all the books of the Salmon, for four cent- 

 uries past, about Salmon not eating, when ascending to 

 their spawning-grounds, but that theory is now wholly ex- 

 ploded. They not only eat, but eat promiscuously and vora- 

 ciously of a great variety of food, including young Salmonidce 

 and other salt and fresh water fish-fry, shrimps, prawns, sand- 

 worms, crustaceans, cephalopods, and floating invertebrata. 

 Another impression is, or was, that Salmon could only be 

 taken with fly, whereas they readily take natural minnows, 

 prawns, worms, artificial minnows, spoons, and a dozen other 

 kinds of bait, as has been abundantly tested and proven. 

 Indeed, it would not be difficult to demonstrate that fly- 

 fishing is the recent revival of an antique art, and that baits 

 only were at one time used by anglers of low degree. Hence 

 their use becoming unpopular, the impression finally obtained 

 that flies only would tempt a fish. Some of these baits, it 

 may be observed, have been found to take best in spring, 

 others in mid-summer, and others still in autumn. Some 



