80 NATURAL HISTOEY OF THE SALMON. 



Ibs. A good many grilse were reported as hav- 

 ing been caught this summer with the mark, and 

 also a number of salmon of the previous hatch- 

 ings; but we believe no regular account was 

 kept the fishermen still being so much against 

 the experiment. 



EXODUS OF THE FEY, 1861. 



The winter of 1860-61 having proved so 

 severe, it was the third week in May ere the 

 keeper reported that the smoults in any great 

 numbers were descending to the river. The fry 

 of this year being from salmon ova, much 

 curiosity was felt to discover if the smoults were 

 larger, or had any difference in appearance from 

 former hatchings. On the most careful inspec- 

 tion no difference could be detected, for although 

 many were fine large smoults, not a few had 

 not grown larger than minnows, and had the 

 parr marks well defined. The question, then, 

 Whether all the fry that became smoults the first 

 year were the produce of salmon alone? is now 

 set at rest, and we are at as great a loss as ever 

 to account for the difference of age at which 

 parr of the same hatching become smoults. We 

 suspect it is a law in the history of the salmo 



