THE SALMON'S JOURNEY 



A RESTLESSNESS following the longer hours of light, and that 

 tide in the flow of life which is beyond explanation, begins 

 to overtake one set of creatures prematurely. In February 

 most hibernating things stir from their winter's sleep : and 

 the farmer grows eager to ' get on the land/ The world is 

 full of stir. The wheatear and chiffchaffs have begun their 

 oversea journeys, and our native birds are building. The 

 buds on chestnuts, cherries, quicks, and hornbeams show 

 greenness. A hundred instances may be noted during the 

 month, and but very few a month earlier. 



The salmon is an exception. He is pioneer. In the 

 waters winter is spring, and in them no animal is more 

 invincibly determined to share in the free play of life than 

 the salmon, and as his life history is now at last being traced 

 out, the knowledge of his energetic vitality grows. A score 

 of small problems remain to be solved. We are not sure 

 how far afield the salmon journeys when he leaves the river. 

 We are not sure how often a salmon may spawn in its life. 

 We do not know how complete is the clearance from the 

 river, or whether the spent fish follow a regular impulse like 

 the rest. But we have no more abundant evidence about 

 any creature than the spring return of the salmon from sea 

 to river. Over the whole domain of natural history is no 

 more vivid evidence of the force of the migrating impulse, 



