42 NATTJEAL HISTOEY OF THE SALMON. 



creature, not requiring to seek its food, moves very 

 little, and when it does, swims mostly on its side, 

 owing to the large size of the bag; this gradually 

 becomes absorbed, and in a short time the fins 

 get separated, and the fry assumes the general 

 aspect of a fish. In its first stage it is trans- 

 lucent, but in a short period it takes on the parr 

 colour, and the transverse bars can be easily seen, 

 and the tail begins to get much forked. At the 

 bag stage of their existence they are very easily 

 injured; a displaced stone in the gravel amongst 

 which they are lying coming against them de- 

 stroys them; and although they are no longer the 

 prey of insects, all kinds of fish and fowl are 

 their enemies, and great must be their destruc- 

 tion in rivers where their enemies are numerous. 

 As we have previously stated, in about six weeks 

 the bag is absorbed, and the fish is a fingerling 

 or parr, from one inch and a half to two inches 

 long. The pond in connection with the boxes 

 was ready to receive the fry when the fish had 

 reached this stage, but was found far too small 

 to receive 300,000 fry. The length of the pond 

 is only 223 feet by 112 feet at its broadest part, 

 but from the great attention paid to the fry by 

 the keeper, and the regularity with which they 



