APPENDIX 273 



art of salmon fishing and he deserves much gratitude. 

 Whether his teaching greatly increases the weight 

 of the bag or not, it adds a new interest to the sport, 

 which will I am sure be appreciated. As has often 

 been said, killing fish is not the whole of fishing, and 

 most men are strongly attracted by the scientific 

 issues which the use of rod, line and flies raises for 

 their attention. 



THE STORY OF SALMON SCALES 



By the kindness of Mr. J. Arthur Hutton I am 

 able to show a series of photographs from his fine 

 collection which illustrate some of the salmon's 

 development from the egg to the mature fish. One 

 confirms Scrope's observation as to the parr-marks 

 under the smolt dress. Another shows how a salmon 

 which has spawned before acquires spots below the 

 middle line, and others show the story which is told 

 by the scale-markings. 



It will be seen how the inner half of the scale 

 (that which is covered and protected by an over- 

 lapping scale) is covered with a tracery of fine con- 

 centric lines, and it will be noticed how these lines 

 are arranged in groups, alternately set close together 

 and more widely spaced. This indicates alterna- 

 tions in slow and rapid growth of the fish to which 

 the scale belonged, which alternations occurred in 

 winter and summer respectively. By the number 

 of these groups one can tell with certainty how 

 many summers and winters the fish has lived in the 

 sea, and with almost as great certainty how many it 

 passed in fresh water before migrating. Some scales 



