THE SUSTENANCE OF SALMON 173 



the spawning ground this occurs with nearly every- 

 thing seen, no matter how minute the moving object 

 may be. 



THE SUSTENANCE OF SALMON 



Salmon, it has been affirmed, when in fresh water, 

 live on their cream that is, the adipose matter dis- 

 tributed through their body until spawning opera- 

 tions are over, even as the hibernating animals live 

 on their fat until their winter is over. The loss of 

 the appetite of the salmon is natural when the object 

 of their visit to fresh water is remembered that is, to 

 spawn. The insect and fish life of a river is insufficient 

 to sustain an inrush of healthy feeding salmon with an 

 appetite such as is common to these fish when in salt 

 water ; hence if their appetite continued all living crea- 

 tures in the fresh waters of the salmon river might 

 possibly be destroyed, and the salmon would not, in 

 succeeding years, leave the salt water, where food is 

 plentiful, and enter an empty river, however strong 

 their spawning instincts, and for this reason an appe- 

 tite would imply a necessity for food, which food would 

 in such a case be unobtainable. Thus their sexual 

 duties would be unperformed in fresh water, and if 

 they attempted to spawn in the sea, their ova would 

 be killed by the saline action of the water. Nature 

 appears to moderate the appetite of the smolt in fresh 

 water, and instinct then prevails, and the smolt flies 

 to the sea, where he recovers his appetite. When 



