FISHES. 581 



culum or gill-cover. Some brownish irregular spots, variable both in 

 form and size, are sprinkled over the sides. In other respects the 

 colours are subject to variations according to circumstances. Before 

 assuming the characters here indicated, however, the salmon has 

 passed through three stages, each of which is marked by peculiarities 

 worthy of being noted. The young salmon (Fig. 379) is greyish and 

 striped with black. At the end of a year it has acquired a fine 

 metallic hue. " The other parts," according to Mr. Blanchard, " are 

 of a dazzling steel-blue ; eight or ten large spots of the same brilliant 

 blue cover it as with a silvery mantle on the sides j between these 

 spots a reddish, or, rather, brightish-rusty iron colour prevails ; a 

 black spot is usually observable in the middle of the operculum. 

 The belly is of a fine diaphanous blue in the parr" (Fig. 380). 



Dr. Bertram gives a very clear and intelligible account of the early 

 life history of the salmon, which was at one time veiled in mystery. 

 " The spawn, deposited by the parent fish in October, November, 

 and December, lies in the river till about April or May, when it 

 quickens into lite. I have already described the changes apparent in 

 the salmon's egg, from the time of its fructification till the birth of 

 the fish. The infant fry are of course very helpless, and are seldom 

 seen during the first week or two of their existence, when they carry 

 about with them, as a provision for food, a portion of the yolk of the 

 egg from whence they were hatched. At that time the fish is about 

 half an inch in size, and presents such a singular appearance that no 

 person seeing it would ever believe that it would grow into a fine 

 grilse or salmon. After absorbing its umbilical bag, which it takes a 

 period of twenty to forty days to accomplish, the young salmon may 

 be seen about its birthplace, timid and weak, hiding about the stones, 

 and always apparently of the same colour as the surroundings of its 

 sheltering-place. The transverse bars of the parr, however, speedily 

 become apparent, and the fish begins to grow with considerable 

 rapidity, especially if it is to be a twelvemonth's smolt, and this is very 

 speedily seen at such a place as the Stormontfield ponds. The 

 young fish continue to grow for a little more than two years before 

 the whole number make the change from parr to smolt, and seek the 

 salt water. About fifty days is required for the animal to assume the 

 shape oi a perfect fish ; before that time it might be taken for any- 

 thing else than a young salmon. At the end of two years it has 

 changed into a smolt. Half the number of any one hatching begin to 

 change at a little over twelve months from the date of their coming to 

 life. And thus there is the extraordinary anomaly offish of the same 

 hatching being at one and the same time parr of half an ounce in 



