56 NATURAL HISTORY OF THE SALMON. 



other mark this year was cutting off a portion 

 of the lower angle of the tail. On the 28th of 

 April, which was a month earlier than last year, 

 the first shoal of smoults went off. They were 

 generally larger, fuller grown, and finer shaped 

 than last year. We took many smonlts from the 

 river for the purpose of comparison, and in nearly 

 every instance the pond smoult was superior in 

 every point of view. There were no very small 

 parrs in the pond at this time as there were last 

 year. Previously to leaving they congregate and 

 swim in a restless manner through the pond; 

 then a few of them visit the place of exit, and 

 again return to the shoal, which shortly takes its 

 departure; and it is a fact well known to all 

 fishermen that those in the river descend to the 

 sea in shoals. The keeper having reported to Mr 

 Buist that the fry had nearly all left the pond, 

 the 24th of May was fixed upon for the purpose 

 of emptying it to prepare for the hatching of 

 1855 when it was found that 335 smoults had 

 remained behind the rest; they and 872 parrs 

 were captured and turned into the river. These 

 parrs, at the time, were thought to belong to the 

 unsuccessful spawning of 1854, and were said to 

 have been put into the pond by mistake. A few 



