ADMEASUREMENT OF SALMON-FRY. 193 



speaking of the young of salmon I shall invariably 

 use the word " fry," until they have attained the 

 age of twelve months, when I shall call them 

 " smolts." That is the correct nomenclature, as I 

 shall show when I describe the plates representino- 

 the young of salmon. 



At from three to four months a salmon-fry 

 measures in length from two to two and a half 

 inches — hardly so much. Its head is round ; 

 there are pink spots on the body, and the trans- 

 verse bars are plainly apparent. 



At six months the young fish measures from 

 three and a quarter to three and a half inches in 

 length, and the pink spots and transverse bars 

 continue to become more and more distinct. 



At eight months the fry is very little longer 

 than it is at six months of age, but it is evidently 

 thicker or more bulky. At nine months even, the 

 increase of growth does not tally with increase of 

 age. No doubt its growth is impeded by (I beg 

 the reader to bear in mind that I am speaking 

 generally, and not of exceptions) its attaining the 

 above age in the winter months when its favourite 

 food, flies, other insects and larvse cannot be pro- 

 cured in any thing like abundance. 



I think it is better to explain here why I say 



that salmon-fry at eight months old enter, gene- 

 o 



