16 DAYS AND NIGHTS OF SALMON FISHING 



is made by the female. Some have fancied that the 

 elongation of the lower jaw in the male, which is 

 somewhat in the form of a crook, is designed by 

 nature to enable him to excavate the spawning 

 trough. Certainly it is difficult to divine what may 

 be the use of this very ugly excrescence ; but 

 observation has proved that this idea is a fallacy, 

 and that the male never assists in making the spawn- 

 ing place ; and indeed, if he did so, he could not 

 possibly make use of the elongation in question for 

 that purpose, which springs from the lower jaw, and 

 bends inwards towards the throat. 



When the female first commences making her 

 spawning bed, she generally comes after sunset, and 

 goes off in the morning : she works up the gravel 

 with her snout, her head pointing against the stream, 

 as my fisherman has clearly and unequivocally wit- 

 nessed, and she arranges the position of the loose 

 gravel with her tail. When this is done, the male 

 makes his appearance in the evenings, according to 

 the usage of the female : he then remains close by 

 her, on the side on which the water is deepest. When 

 the female is in the act of emitting her ova, she turns 

 upon her side, with her face to the male, who never 

 moves. The female runs her snout into the gravel, 

 and forces herself under it as much as she possibly 

 can, when an attentive observer may see the red 

 spawn coming from her. The male in his turn lets 

 his milt go over the spawn ; and this process goes 

 on for some days, more or less, according to the size 

 of the fish and consequent quantity of the eggs. 



During this time, Trout will collect below to de- 



