14 ART OF ANGLING. 



the depth of eighteen inches ; in this the female 

 deposits the spawn, which they afterwards care- 

 fully cover up by means of their tails, which 

 are observed to have no skin on them for some 

 time after this period. The spawn lies buried 

 till spring, if not disturbed by violent floods, 

 but the Salmon hasten to the sea as soon as they 

 are able, in order to recover their strength ; for 

 after spawning they become very lean, and are 

 then called by the name of Kippers. When the 

 Salmon first enter the rivers, they are observed 

 to have a great many small animals adhering to 

 them, especially about their gills ; these are the 

 Lernea Salmonea, or Salmon louse, of Lin- 

 naeus, and are signs that the fish are in high 

 season ; soon after the Salmon have left the 

 sea, the Lernea die and drop off. 



About the latter end of March the spawn be- 

 gins to exclude the young, which gradually in- 

 crease to the length of four or five inches, and 

 are then called Samlets, Smelts, or Smouts. 

 About the beginning of May the river is full of 

 them ; it seems to be all alive ; and there is no 

 having an idea of their numbers without seeing 

 them ; but a seasonable flood then hurries them 

 all to the sea, scarce any being left in the river. 

 About the middle of June, the earliest of the 

 fry begin to drop, as it were, into the river 

 again from the sea, at that time being about 



