PROTECT FISH AT SPAWNING-TIMES. 371 



course of existence until it is cooked, or dies of old age, or of 

 wounds and weakness from incessant fighting at the breed- 

 ing-time. It seeks the river every year, as is supposed, though 

 this is but assumption, which it is almost impossible to prove, 

 and whether it breeds every year or only at intervals it is 

 hard to say. The general creed, however, is, that it does 

 breed every year, and all that it requires from man is a little 

 reasonable forbearance, and better protection at the breeding 

 season until it again reaches the sea ; and if it is able to reach 

 the higher ranges of spawning-beds, it will speedily crowd 

 our rivers with delicious food, and the means of healthful and 

 magnificent sport. In these respects the capacity of Amer- 

 ican rivers is second to that of none in the world. Our riv- 

 ers ought to swarm with salmon ; and when we hear of riv- 

 ers in England, ridiculously small by comparison with our 

 own, yielding their $100,000 a year, and enormous revenues 

 besides, do we not feel it to be a sin and a shame that such 

 splendid capabilities as ours should be suffered to be behind 

 them, and to fall into neglect and disuse, and that such im- 

 portant resources should be lost to the country and to the 

 consumers throughout the Union ? If an American wants 



5 



salmon-fishing, he must go either to Canada or Scotland for 

 it, and this is disgraceful. We have many good coast and 

 estuary fishes, but none equal to the salmon in all respects. 

 Is there any reason why we should not have the best, and 

 plenty of it ? England and France are both putting their 

 shoulders to the wheel. Have we less energy and determin- 

 ation than they ? 



DEVELOPMENT OF THE SALMON. 

 PROCESS OF INCUBATION. 



The egg of any fish of the genus Salmo, before impregna- 

 tion with the milt of the male fish, is the color of the yolk of 

 a hen's egg, and apparently of about the same consistency, 

 being a mixture of albumen and oil. In this particular the 

 egg of the salmon differs from those of the families Clupeidce 



