64 Angling Travels in Norway. 



Allowing a liberal period for the deposit of ova, the fish 

 should be hatched out by the end of February, and by the 

 time of the clearance of ice the youngsters should have 

 absorbed the contents of the yolk-bag, and have become 

 perfect fish. 



At this time, and throughout the season, the parr may 

 be observed feeding in the backwaters, or stationed in some 

 miniature stream formed by stones at the margin of the 

 river, where for the first few weeks he fattens upon particles 

 scarcely visible to the human eye. 



Later on, he devotes his attention to midges, and then 

 to fair-sized flies, until the winter again comes round, and 

 his appetite can only be satisfied by subaquseous food. 



The parr differ in size to much the same extent as in 

 British rivers, so it is probable that their transformation 

 into smolts is governed by the same laws as are proved 

 to exist in the British Isles; indeed, the provision of Nature, 

 which ordains that half of each brood should remain as 

 parr for two years, would seem to be of extreme value 

 in this land of accident, in order to preserve a portion 

 of each year's production. 



At the commencement of June, I have seen salmon-fry 

 an inch to an inch-and-a-half long, and on the first of July 

 I have seen them two-and-a-half inches in length dis- 

 porting themselves in the rivers and fresh-water portions 

 of the fjords. 



