1 1 6 THE SA LMON. 



which has no " correlative " existence in the 

 heavens above or in the earth beneath, or, which is 

 most to the point, in the waters under the earth, 

 and which, at the same time, must differ in no im- 

 portant requisite of motion, appearance, or colour 

 from things which really have existence. A 

 superstition long existed that salmon, during their 

 sojourn in fresh water, lived like the last victim to 

 incredulous science the Welsh fasting-girl with- 

 out food. The fact that unscrupulous fishermen 

 found a parr-tail, or half an eel, or a dollop of fat 

 worms, a most killing bait, rather shook the theory ; 

 and although there are some still credulous enough 

 to believe that their victim is seduced into toying 

 with the exquisitely-painted morsel they have pro- 

 vided for him out of sheer admiration for the 

 artistic merit displayed, just as there are some 

 very young men who believe that the bouncing 

 school-girl he sits next to really keeps up her 

 stamina on the tiny morsels she so daintily toys 

 with at the dinner-table, the notion is now ex- 

 ploded. The salmon is in truth a most greedy 

 feeder; his digestion, like his appetite, is very 

 active, and, in common with birds and beasts of 

 prey, when in difficulties, he ejects the food re- 

 cently swallowed ; hence the myth which no one 

 takes the trouble to verify or disprove, that no 



