138 SALMON AND TROUT. 



are probably members of the primrose family, specialised for in- 

 habiting marshy spots ; while the Utricularia is a buttervvort which 

 has further adapted itself to a wholly aquatic life. 



I hope all fishers who may come across the Bladderwort 

 will not fail to make a careful examination of the contents of 

 the ' larder,' and if any young salmon or trout are found in 

 it communicate instantly with the police, or rather with the 

 nearest water bailiff. 



We left the young salmon, or parr, just prior to its emerg- 

 ing from the egg, and still all-unconscious of the dangers to 

 come, and the perils besetting its progress to adolescence. 



With the various enemies above mentioned besetting every 

 period of their existence to say nothing of the great biped 

 parr destroyer, man himself it ceases to be a matter of surprise 

 that the percentage of fry attaining the grilse stage should be as 

 small as it is ; the only wonder is that it is not still more trifling. 



By the system of artificial hatching and rearing, however, 

 now successfully carried out in different parts of the country, 

 the loss of ova, and of fry in its earlier stages is reduced to a 

 minimum. But this subject is fully dealt with elsewhere. 



Let us revert to the spawning beds, where the ova have now 

 been deposited and covered, carefully up under little mounds 

 of fine gravel. 



The first sign of animation in the egg is the appearance of 

 the eye, which may be noticed, a scarcely perceptible black 

 speck, in from forty to sixty days after deposition. The eye 

 gradually increases in size until the time of hatching an event 

 which usually occurs in from 90 to 140 days, according to 

 the temperature of the water and forwardness of the spring. 

 This period is liable, however, to great variations. The usual 

 time in Scotland is from 100 or no to 140 days. South of 

 the Tweed it is often considerably less. In water of the con- 

 stant temperature of forty-four degrees, eggs have been hatched 

 in sixty days ; whilst in some experiments made at the Crystal 



