126 FISHES. 



August, or September are wet, the Salmon commence 

 running from the sea if otherwise, their ascent is delayed 

 until the autumn rains set in. 



The eggs are usually deposited in November and 

 December, and take from ninety to one hundred and 

 thirty days to hatch, but this is greatly dependent on 

 the temperature of the water and other conditions. It 

 was formerly a prevalent belief that the fry, or ' parr ' as 

 they are termed, migrated during the first year, a theory 

 not now entertained. The young fish, hatched say in 

 March, remain in the river until April or May of the year 

 following, that is for thirteen or fifteen months after leaving 

 the ova. They have by that time assumed the migratory 

 dress, thus becoming ' smolts,' and are carried down to 

 the sea with the first floods of May. Mr. Phillips con- 

 siders that the weight of evidence favours the opinion that 

 smolts do not return the same year in which they enter the 

 sea, but that they remain there about fifteen months, and 

 ascend the river as ' grilse ' along with the Salmon about 

 the month of August in the second season. 



For much interesting information on Yorkshire Salmon 

 we are indebted to Mr. John H. Phillips, Secretary to the 

 Yorkshire Salmon Fishery Board, to Mr. Samuel Wilkin- 

 son, Secretary to the Esk Salmon Fishery Board, and to 

 Mr. H. T. Gardiner, of Goole. 



199. Salmo trutta Flem. Salmon-Trout. Sea-Trout. 



Freshwater resident, periodically descending to the sea, 

 present in all the rivers frequented by S. Salar, especially 

 in those flowing into the North Sea, and is particularly 

 abundant in the Esk and Tees, where it is known both as 

 'salmon-trout' and 'bull-trout.' Very abundant along the 

 coast, and was taken in numbers in the stake nets which 

 formerly existed in Bridlington Bay. The dates for this 

 species are substantially the same as those for the Salmon, 

 the spawning season (as given for the Esk) being in 

 November and December, the kelts descending during the 

 months of March, April, and May, and re-ascending in 

 June, the smolts descending in April and May. 



The * Bull-Trout' thoroughly and generally believed 

 in as a distinct species in Yorkshire is very abundant in 

 the Esk and the Tees. Dr. Giinther, however, states that 

 all specimens of the so-called ' Bull-Trout ' that he has 

 examined have been referable to S. trutta (Salmon-trout), 



