THE SALMON FAMILY 223 



has visibly decreased in volume, though it has not as yet 

 become undetached, or entirely consumed. 



" At a month old the fish-foetus has grown in length, and 

 exhibits to the naked eye plain traces of head, eyes, and tail. 

 Still it is barely more than a pale, misshapen, little longi- 

 tudinal, half-animated substance. 



"At two months old the 'fry' measures about one inch and 

 a half, is of nearly perfect piscine formation, having all its 

 fins well defined, and on its coat a slight appearance of trans- 

 verse bars, commonly and erroneously termed 'parr marks.' 

 In speaking of the young of Salmon I shall invariably use 

 the word 'fry,' until they have attained the age of twelve 

 months, Avhen I shall call them 'Smolts.' 



"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 

 transverse 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 the increase of age. No doubt its growth is impeded by 

 (I beg the reader to bear in mind that I am speaking gene- 

 rally, and not of exceptions) its attaining the above age in 

 the winter months, when its favorite food, flies, other insects, 

 and larvae cannot be procured in anything like abundance." 



" A Salmon-fry at ten months measures about four inches, 

 and the transverse bars begin to disappear, silvery smolt scales 

 by degrees taking their place. 



