PARRS AND SMOLTS 21 



present law of Scotland acts upon, is, that the 

 salmon fry of the winter and spring congregate 

 and go down to the sea in the May of the same 

 season, and that they are of a pure silver colour, as 

 indeed more or less they are. Now in all salmon 

 rivers parrs are to be found in abundance through- 

 out the summer, and early in the spring ; and in 

 the summer they are not of a silver colour, but 

 marked with red spots, and are shaded with vertical 

 bars on their sides at intervals. From the appear- 

 ance of these bars, they are very generally supposed 

 to be of a distinct species from the smolt. Permit 

 me to give my reasons for entertaining a contrary 

 opinion. 



"After May the large parrs totally disappear, 

 and such few as may be found afterwards are very 

 small ; but as the summer advances they become 

 larger, and in the spring following the bars and red 

 spots above mentioned gradually die away, and a 

 stronger armour or scale supervenes ; and as that 

 is more or less advanced in growth, the bars and 

 spots are more or less visible. 



"When they are in this silvery state, that is, 

 when the new scales are perfected, they become 

 what are called smolts or salmon fry ; but by 

 removing such new scales, you will find the bars 

 and spots of the parr underneath as clear and vivid 

 as ever. I have therefore a positive conviction 

 that the salmon fry, instead of falling down to the 

 sea the same year they are produced, remain in the 

 river, under the name of parrs, till the year follow- 

 ing. That they increase little in size we cannot be 

 surprised at, as it is universally known that the 



