The Natural History of the Salmon. 85 



The Salmon has many provincial names. In its 

 young state, before it goes to the sea, it is known 

 as parr, pink, smolt, salmon fry, samlet, brandling, 

 fingerling, black fin, blue fin, skegger, gravelling, 

 last spring, skerling, and sparling. Some of these, 

 however, may apply to the young of the sea trout. 



On the first return from the sea, the general term 

 is a grilse ; on the Severn, however, it is called a 

 botcher. On the second return from the sea, in 

 Scotland, it is a salmon or a " fish " (this also 

 applies to a grilse, to distinguish it from the sea 

 trout, which is a " trout "). In the Severn, a gerling. 

 In Northumberland the male is called a summer- 

 cock, or gibfish. A fish remaining long in the 

 fresh water on the Severn is called a laurel. After 

 spawning a male fish is a kelt or kipper ; a female, 

 a shedder or baggit. In Lancashire a grilse is a 

 sprod ; a salmon of the second year a mort ;^ of the 

 fourth year a fork tail ; fifth, a half-fish ; and salmon 

 only after the sixth year. 



The usual terms for the salmon as it passes 

 through the different stages of its life are, parr, 

 smolt, grilse, and salmon. 



* According to others a sprod is a sea trout ; a mort is the 

 same fish on its second return from the sea. 



