ANOMALIES IN SALMON GROWTH. 105 



they were hatched, but it was thought advisable rather to 

 detain them till they were seized with the migratory instinct 

 and assumed the scales of smolthood, which occurs, as already 

 stated in other parts of this work, at the age of one and two 

 years respectively. Indeed, the experiments conducted at the 

 Stormontfield ponds have conclusively settled the long-fought 

 battle of the parr, and proved indisputably that the parr is the 

 young of the salmon, that it becomes transformed to a smolt, 

 grows into a grilse, and ultimately attains the honour of full- 

 grown salmonhood. 



The anomaly in the growth of the parr was also attempted 

 to be solved at Stormontfield, but without success. In 

 November and December 1857 provision was made for 

 hatching in separate compartments the artificially-impregnated 

 ova of 1, parr and salmon ; 2, grilse and salmon ; 3, grilse 

 pure ; 4, salmon pure. It was found, when the young of these 

 different matches came to be examined early in April 1859, 

 that the sizes of each kind varied a little, Mr. Buist, the 

 superintendent of fisheries, informing us that " 1st, the 

 produce of the salmon with salmon are 4 in. in length ; 2d, 

 grilse with salmon, 3j in. ; 3d, grilse with grilse, 3i in. ; 4th, 

 parr with grilse, 3 in. ; 5th, smolt from large pond, 5 in." 

 These results of a varied manipulation never got a fair chance 

 of being of use as a proof in the disputation ; for, owing to the 

 limited extent of the ponds at the time, the experiments had 

 to be matured in such small boxes or ponds as evidently 

 tended to stunt the growth of the fish. Up to the present 

 time the riddle which has so long puzzled our naturalists in 

 connection with the growth of the salmon has not been solved. 

 A visitor whom I met at the ponds was of opinion that a suf- 

 ficient quantity of milt was not used in the fructification of 

 the eggs, as the male fish were scarcer than the female ones, 

 and that those eggs which first came into contact with the 

 milt produced the stronger fish. 



