SALMON. Ill 



hooked foul, that is, on the outside of the 

 body, as in the fins or tail, they will often 

 fight for many hours, and in such cases very 

 large salmon are seldom caught, as they retain 

 their powers of breathing unimpaired ; and 

 if they do not exhaust themselves by violent 

 muscular efforts, they may bid defiance to the 

 temper and the skill of the fisherman. A 

 large salmon, hooked in the upper part of 

 the mouth in the cartilage or bone, will some- 

 times likewise fight for a long while, particu- 

 larly if he keep in the deep and still parts of 

 the river : for he is able to prevent the force 

 of the hook, applied by the rod, from inter- 

 fering with his respiration : and by a powerful 

 effort, can maintain his place, and continue to 

 breathe in spite of the exertions of the 

 angler. A fish, in such case, is said to be 

 sulky, and his instinct, or his sagacity, gene- 

 rally enables him to conquer his enemy. It 

 is, however, rarely that fishes hooked in the 

 mouth are capable of using freely the muscles 

 subservient to respiration ; and their powers 

 are generally, sooner or later, destroyed by 

 suffocation. 



