PARRS AND SMOLTS 37 



I carried them immediately to Barnes, the residence 

 of Mr. Edward Cooke ; and having selected the 

 most silvery amongst them, I begged him to paint 

 it as faithfully as possible; and after he had so 

 done I desired that, during my absence, he would 

 remove the scales from the upper half of the same 

 fish, and paint it again as it should appear after 

 such removal. The result will be seen in the 

 accompanying lithograph, with the execution of 

 which I did not at all interfere. It proves what has 

 been asserted as to change of outward appearance. 



All the fry, however, which go to sea at this 

 period, have not their silver scales perfected ; but 

 many have the bars and spots faintly indicated, as 

 represented in the lithograph (No. 3) introduced 

 a few pages forward, another fish selected from 

 the same lot ; and although the majority of these 

 little emigrants go to the sea in large masses about 

 the first swells of the river in May, yet I have no 

 doubt but that some are continually going down 

 to the salt water in every month of the year, not 

 with their silver scales on, but in the parr state. 

 I say not with their silver scales, because no clear 

 smolt is ever seen in the Tweed during the summer 

 and autumnal months. As the spawning season 

 in the Tweed extends over a period of six months, 

 some of the fry must be necessarily some months 

 older than others, a circumstance which favours 

 my supposition, that they are constantly descend- 

 ing to the sea ; and it is only a supposition, as I 

 have no proof of the fact, and have never heard 

 it suggested by any one. But if I should be right, 

 it will clear up some things that cannot well be 



