278 AMERICAN FISHES. 



any sort to hinder their running quite up to the mouth of Niagara, as 

 is the case with the true Salmon. 



One thing, however, it may be observed in this connexion, is very 

 evident that we know, comparatively speaking, almost nothing of the 

 nature of fishes' instincts. 



That they possess exceedingly tenacious memories, I cannot in the 

 least doubt ; and I have more almost than strong suspicion that these 

 ' memories became hereditary, and are so transmitted from generation 

 to generation. 



In no other way can we account for that extraordinary instinct 

 which leads back the young bird to the nest in which it was hatched, 

 the grilse to the river in which it had its birth since the young birds 

 are deserted by their ' parents at a period long antecedent to their 

 return from their migration, and the fish never have the protection of 

 their progenitors. 



Nor in any other way can we explain the fact that the true Salmon 

 never enter the Niagara River, although they run quite up to its 

 mouth ; even if we admit that its waters are entirely unfitted for the 

 purposes of the fish, and that it contains no shoals suited for spawning- 

 grounds ; for otherwise, we should expect that every individual fish 

 would visit it at least once, in order to get a taste of its quality, and 

 then finding it unsuitable, desert it ; whereas it is not on record that 

 any fish has ever been taken of this species within its embouchure. 



It may be that this wonderful power is an especial gift of Provi- 

 dence, preventing the fish from wasting too much time in seeking out 

 a haunt, and so losing the season for the propagation of its species, by 

 conducting it truly, as the needle to the magnetic pole, to the stream 

 in which it was bred. 



Be this, however, as it may, certain it is that in all the rivers which 

 flow eastwardly from the Provinces into the Northern Atlantic, with 

 every flood-tide a horde of these beautiful fishes run up until they 

 strike the junction of the salt and fresh water, usually at the foot of a 

 fall or rapid, and there remain disporting themselves in the bright 

 eddies, and throwing themselves quite out of their native element, 

 in pursuit of their scaly prey. 



In these places they will take very greedily any of the Scottish or 

 Irish gaudy lake-flies, leaping out of the water to take and seize them, 



I 



