AS TO SALMON FEEDING 175 



I have, when well concealed from sight, while watch- 

 ing salmon, quietly thrown in preserved minnows, 

 worms, and snails. These have been seized, chewed, 

 and, as far as I could see, invariably rejected by the 

 salmon. Nature, despite its immutable laws of supply 

 and demand, is rarely destructive for destruction's 

 sake, and the salmon's attack on moving objects is 

 actuated by the absolutely natural law which dictates 

 the safety and survival of the species. 



ANALOGIES DRAWN FROM OTHER FISH 



Herring, mackerel, and other salt-water fish, cease 

 to feed as spawning operations approach. 



As the spawning season of trout approaches they 

 lose their appetite and their condition, and though 

 at times food is doubtless swallowed and enters 

 the stomach of the trout, it appears to lead to 

 trouble, frequently to disease of the intestines. The 

 natural condition of the trout's stomach is opposed 

 to the reception of food during the season in which 

 its sexual activity exists, and it is easy to understand 

 a similar state of things as regards salmon. The very 

 few cases in which it is stated that food has been 

 found in the stomach of clean salmon when in fresh 

 water may be regarded as the exceptions, which 

 justify the contention that salmon and trout cease 

 feeding when about to spawn. 



