38 BRITISH FRESHWATER FISHES 



fresh water, and especially by the act of repro- 

 duction ; exceptionally heavy Salmon are not 

 necessarily, or even probably, exceptionally old, 

 but are those which have passed the greater part of 

 their life in the sea, have fed well, and have spawned 

 seldom. 



On many rivers a large proportion of the fish 

 spawn only once. Mr. Malloch found on the Tay 

 that 80 per cent, of the Salmon which entered were 

 maiden fish ; these are much better for the table 

 than those which have spawned previously ; the 

 latter have the flesh pale and coarse, and are dis- 

 tinguished by the presence of numerous small spots 

 on the head and shoulders. There is good reason 

 to believe that Salmon rarely live to be more than 

 eight or nine years old, or spawn more than three or 

 four times ; on the Tay the age and history of some 

 large fish of from 30 to more than 40 Ibs. weight 

 has been ascertained, and these have been either 

 seven or eight years old, and have spawned either 

 once or twice ; Salmon of more than 80 Ibs. weight 

 have occasionally been captured, and we may con- 

 clude that such fish are either maiden Salmon or 

 have not spawned more than once, and have grown 

 with remarkable rapidity. Three maiden Salmon 

 from the Wye of 40, 42, and 44 Ibs., mentioned by 

 Mr. Hutton, were six years old and had spent four 

 years in the sea ; such fish might well have reached 

 a weight of 80 Ibs. at the age of eight or nine years. 



The Salmon of some rivers grow to a much larger 

 size than those of others ; the Tay is a river noted 

 for its heavy Salmon, and the record Scottish 

 Salmon, a fish of 84 Ibs., was taken in the Tay 

 estuary. In the British Museum there is a cast of 



