6 Tbe Atlantic Salmon 



grilse only, between salmon and parr, or between grilse and 

 parr. The female parr cannot spawn, but the male parr pos- 

 sesses and constantly exercises the power of vivifying salmon 

 and grilse eggs. 1 



IV. The fry remain one, two, and sometimes three years as 

 parr before going down to the sea, about half taking their de- 

 parture at one year, nearly all the others at two years, and the 

 remainder, which are exceptional, at three years old. 



V. All young salmon fry are marked with bluish bars on 

 their sides until shortly before their migration, up to which 

 period they are parrs ; they then invariably assume a more or 

 less complete coating of silvery scales and become smolts, the 

 bars, or parr marks, however, still being clearly discernible on 

 rubbing off the new scales. 



VI. The young of all species here included in the genus 

 Salmo have at some period of their existence these bluish bars, 

 and consequently such marks are not by themselves proofs that 

 fry bearing them are the young of the true Salmon (Salmo salar) . 



VII. Unless the young fish put on their smolt dress in May 

 or early in June, and thereupon go down to the sea, they remain 

 as parrs another year, and without smolt scales they will not 

 migrate and cannot exist in salt water. 



VIII. The length of the parr at six weeks old is about an 

 inch and a half or two inches ; and the weight of the smolt 

 before reaching the tidal wave from one to two ounces. 



1 This is to be understood as referring to the specific character- 

 istics of any of the salmon thus bred. It seems very possible that 

 there may be in fry, variations of size or development depending on 

 their parentage or generation, as there are also known to be differ- 

 ences in the size of the eggs of different breeding fish dependent upon 

 the size and age of the latter. 



