HABITAT OF SALMON. 61 



from the salmon in the river. In the former he feeds 

 like a glutton, in the latter he is so abstinent that food 

 is hardly ever found in his stomach. With its ocean 

 haunts and modes of living we are still most imper- 

 fectly acquainted ; but recent discoveries and obser- 

 vations have removed the mystery heretofore resting 

 on its river life, and enabled us to watch the singular 

 process of its generation, from the extrusion of the egg 

 from its parent's body until the little fish assumes the 

 characteristic signs of the salmon, and takes its first de- 

 parture to the sea, soon to return astonishingly grown, 

 and become a coveted article of human food. 



On account of its value for Franklin truly described 

 it as "a bit of silver pulled out of the water " as well 

 as because of its most interesting habits, we shall give 

 our readers a brief sketch of its history, and bring 

 under their notice certain important experiments in 

 pisciculture, resorted to in the well-founded hope that 

 they will ultimately lead to a vast increase in the num- 

 bers of the king of fresh-water fishes. 



Although capable of living in the sea, and impelled 

 to resort thither once a-year, the salmon is to be re- 

 garded as a fresh-water fish. It is born in a river, 

 which it leaves for a sojourn of only a few weeks in the 

 ocean, from whence, invigorated and ready for the pro- 

 pagation of its species, it returns to its native river 

 with a certainty which has been long known and ad- 

 mired. Hence, when James I. of England meditated a 

 return to his native Scotland, we find him stating that 

 he was "drawn thereunto by a maist salmon-like 

 affection." Looking, then, upon the salmon as a river 

 fish, let us begin our account of its habits, with a de- 

 scription of its proceedings at the time and place of 

 pairing. 



Salmon prefer a rather cold climate, resorting to the 

 streams when little above the freezing point ; and the 

 temperature in which they appear to thrive best is from 

 40 to 52 Fahr. Their favourite locality in Europe 



