THE HABITS AND HAUNTS OF FISH. 15 



our rivers, the former particularly are sought after and 

 taken by them. 



A salmon in its young state is commonly called a parr, 

 smolt, smelt, or samlet. When at this stage they rise 

 boldly at the artificial trout-fly, but it is unlawful to take 

 them. The terms for the young of other migratory fish 

 (SalmonidcB) are scad, shed, black-tip, blue-fin, hipper, 

 etc. * When the young of these fish attain a length of 

 about six inches, which they do in from eighteen months 

 to two years from the time of hatching, they descend to 

 the sea, where their stay is, generally speaking, about 

 four months. Upon the first return of the young fish, 

 after a sojourn of about this period, it is commonly 

 termed a grilse or salmon-peal. The term "kelt" is ap- 

 plied to male or female after spawning time, the male 

 being also specially distinguished by the appellation, 

 " kipper." The fish then assume the color and form of 

 the fully developed fish. With regard to the hard and 

 fast rules usually given for their growth and develop- 

 ment, their stay in their native or in salt water, we may 

 state that great variation exists among individuals liv- 

 ing under the same apparent conditions. The piscicul- 

 turist well knows that a portion of every brood or hatch 

 of fish are larger, stronger, and more vigorous than the 

 remainder, and the same thing is exemplified when the 

 fish attain maturity. We cannot endorse the statements 

 of some who affirm, though they never attempted to 

 prove, that the fry mature so quickly and grow so rapid- 

 ly, when at liberty, as to be able to descend to the sea 



* As a curious illustration of the fecundity of popular nomenclature 

 as applied to fishes, I append a partial list of names by which the salmon 

 is, or has been, known in Great Britain : Baggit, beikat, bluecap, blue 

 poll, brandling, brandlin, chine, cudding, shoe, farthing trout, franack, 

 fork-tail, gravelin, gibfish, grilse, gresle-kelt, gouries, half-fish, heppar, 

 kelt, kepper-grisle, kilty, kipper, laspring, lax, lewin, ligger, pink, pug, 

 rawner, salmon-sprint, samlet, sewiu, simen, skeggar, skirling, smelt, 

 smoot, sparling, sprag, sprod, summer-cock, trotter, etc. 



