24 NATURAL HISTORY OF THE SALMON. 



we must pass over the further phases of the struggle be- 

 tween the angler and the fish, and come to the final scene. 

 The salmon is languidly lying afloat on the foam, as if 

 all further resistance were vain, and she were bent on 

 gracefully surrendering herself to death. But, put no 

 faith in female ; she trusts to the last trial of her tail. 

 Sweetly workest thou, O reel of reels ; and on thy smooth 

 axle spinning sleepest, even as Milton describes her, like 



our own worthy planet The gaff ! the gaff ! Into the 



eddy she sails, sick and slow, and almost with a swirl, 

 whitening as she nears the sand. There, she has it ! 

 The gaff has struck right into the shoulder, fairer than 

 that of Juno, Diana, Minerva, or Vemis, and she lies at 

 last in all her glorious length and breadth of beaming 

 beauty, fit prey for giant or demigod angling before the 

 Flood ! 



We must now turn our attention to the natural his- 

 tory of the salmon. 



The parent fish deposits her spawn in October, Novem- 

 ber, and December, ascending the fresh-water streams for 

 that purpose ; and the spawn quickens into life about 

 April or May. The young fish are of course exceedingly 

 helpless, and are seldom seen during the first week or 

 two of their career, when they carry about with them as 

 a provision for their sustenance a portion of the egg 

 from which they sprung. At that time they measure 

 about half an inch in size, and their appearance is so sin- 

 gular that certainly 110 one would suspect they could 

 eventually develop into fine grilse or salmon. The ani- 

 mal, in fact, does not assume the shape of a perfect fish 

 for about fifty days, after which it may be seen hovering 



