ANGLING. 



entered the rivers, it begins to deteriorate in con- 

 dition, the scales lose their brilliant silvery lustre, 

 and the flesh becomes soft, pale, and insipid. It 

 seems induced to return to the fresh waters by a 

 natural instinct, wisely implanted for the purposes 

 of reproduction an instinct which enables it to 

 stem the current of raging rivers, to ascend preci- 

 pitous falls, and to pass over weirs and similar 

 obstacles of human intervention, which no other or 

 less impressive power could either vanquish or 

 evade. This desire to discover a suitable situation 

 in which to deposit their ova, seems the chief if not 

 the only reason for salmon thus seeking the " rivers 

 of water;" the supposed torment produced by 

 Caligus piscinus, or other marine adherents, having 

 little or no influence on such migration. Barren 

 fish are believed to continue their usual haunts 

 along the coast at least numerous fine salmon 

 occur in salt water at all seasons, and a few fresh- 

 run and well-conditioned fish may be found in 

 almost every large river in each successive month 

 throughout the year. It is during this instinctive 

 seeking for the spawning beds, that the greater 

 number are captured by stake-net, net and coble, 

 cruive, weir, and the rod ; but it is only in the 

 river, properly so called, that the sportsman can 

 ply his vocation almost all attempts to angle sal- 

 mon from the sea, having hitherto proved abortive. 

 Rivers and streams which flow from large capa- 

 cious lakes, are sooner frequented by fresh-run 

 spring salmon, than such as derive their sources 

 from numerously divided mountain rills, being 



