THE SALMON 



425 



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on 

 or 



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tion resembling that of the sitting hen. 

 which will not leave her eggs unless 

 driven by force. xVt night, guided by 

 the flare of a torch, or a lantern hght. 

 the fish-stealer wades into the water, 

 armed with a spear or a " gaff," — a 

 sharp hook 

 a pole, 

 attached to 

 cord — and stabs 

 and snatches 

 the torpid 

 Salmon. Al- 

 though spa\Mi- 

 ing Salmon are 

 unfit for human 

 food, there are 

 parts of the 

 country where 

 unseasonable 

 fish are c a p- 

 tured, smoked, 

 and sold pri- 

 vately. 



Upon this 

 destruction of 

 spawning Sal- 

 mon no owner of 

 fisheries, or fair 

 fisherman, cares 

 to reflect. It 

 means the loss 

 of both 

 parents 

 the eggs, 

 affords an 

 ample of 

 truth that 

 is one of 

 supreme 

 lower animals. 



On well-guarded rivers, and in favour- 

 able seasons, the operation of spawning 

 proceeds unhindered, and in due time the 

 reach of the river is populated by thou- 

 sands of diminutive fry. These grow to 

 about three or four inches in length 

 within a few months of their birth, and are 

 then plainly recognisable as the young of 

 the Salmon. In some rivers they are 

 called " Samlets " ; in other streams they 

 are described as " Salmon-parr," or " last- 

 springs." To me the most appropriate 

 name seems to be " Samlet," i.e. a little 

 Salmon — used in the same sense as 

 Troutlet or young Trout. 



the 



and 



and 



ex- 



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man 



the 



agents 



SPAWNING-GROUND 



of destruction to the 



The illustration "A Haunt of Samlets," 

 on p. 426, shows a shallow, rippling stretch 

 of a river, such as these little fish love. 

 Here, on a bright day, when the sun reveals 

 every stone on the bottom, may be seen the 

 Samlets darting about, and occasionally 



rising to the sur- 

 face, to catch a 

 floating insect. 

 The infant 

 Salmon is \ery 

 voracious. It 

 rises recklessly 

 to the angler's 

 artificial flies, 

 and seizes a 

 baited hook 

 with avidity. 

 Fort unately, 

 the penalty of 

 a fine of five 

 pounds deters a 

 large number of 

 village lads and 

 unscrupulous 

 fishermen from 

 retaining Sam- 

 lets taken on 

 the hook when 

 fishing for 

 Trout. In ap- 

 pearance, the 

 Samlet is so like 

 a small Trout 

 that man}' be- 

 ginners in ang- 

 ling are unable 

 t o distinguish 

 one from the 

 other. But the points of dissimilarity 

 are soon learned. The scales of a Sam- 

 let are smaller and more sih'ery than 

 those of a Trout, and they are easily 

 remo\-ed with the finger. In a Samlet, 

 the fleshy or adipose fin, near the 

 tail, is of a slaty grey colour, but in 

 the Trout it is more or less tinged with 

 bright red. A Samlet has also well- 

 defined black markings along the 

 resembling the print of finger-tips. 

 After a sojourn of some months 

 rivers, the Samlets begin to e.xpcrifnce 

 a sense of restlessness and an impulse to 

 travel down the stream until they reach 

 salt water. It is during this first visit 

 to the sea that they incur many j^erils. 



OF SALMON 

 RIVER. 



ON A WELSH 



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