OF THE SALMON. 29 



where the salmon frequent, and in many respects 

 resemble a salmon fry of eight or nine months old. 

 If we are allowed to call this little fish a parr, this, 

 along with all the salmon fry in the river, were 

 called parr. The length and the transverse bars of 

 this little trout resemble that of the fry, but its head 

 and tail are those of a trout. The salmon fry were 

 for many years taken for this little trout, and many 

 now call the salmon fry after that name, and although 

 " the parr of the salmon " seems to be an inappropriate 

 name for the " fry of the salmon," it does not other- 

 wise affect the account of their habits. However, 

 when the facts were discovered that the fry was 

 more than a few weeks in the river after being 

 hatched, the case met the most strenuous opposition. 

 Mr. John Shaw commenced a series of artificial 

 breeding ponds, in which he hatched the young fish 

 from the ova, and artificial impregnation ; he carried 

 out these operations as far as the situation would 

 admit, and if any mistake happened towards these, 

 it was from no carelessness or want of attention. 

 But his fry being two years in fresh water before 

 they arrived at the smalt state, did not agree with 

 my artificial operations ; for the fry in my ponds were 

 smolts at the end of the first year, and frequent trials 

 brought forth the same results. However, I was 

 induced to suspect, that the water by which Mr. 

 Shaw's ponds were fed was the cause of that differ- 

 ence in time, for he says in his pamphlet, at page 14., 

 that "One or two of each of three broods assumed 

 the migratory or smolt dress at the age of twelve 

 months. This circumstance I am disposed to attri- 

 bute to the high temperature of the spring water 

 ponds, which I have no doubt has hastened the 

 change. I am greatly strengthened in this opinion, 

 by the fact of no instance of a similar change having 



