NATURAL HISTORY OF BRITISH SALMONIDjE. 137 



until they gain the upper and shallower reaches, or spawning 

 grounds. At this time all the salmon and trout species resident 

 in fresh water, both migratory and non-migratory, acquire, in 

 lieu of their brilliant spring tints, a dusky yellowish exterior, 

 accompanied by a considerable increase of mucus or slime — 

 the fins also becoming more muscular. 



The usual tmie of salmon spawning is from November until 

 the latter end of January or the beginning of February.' As the 

 all-important operation approaches their colours undergo a still 

 further deterioration, the general hue of the body in the males 

 assuming a browner or more golden tinge, and the cheeks being 

 marked with orange-coloured stripes ; the lower jaw elongates, 

 and a gristly projection or horn turns upwards from the point, 

 which is used by the salmon as an organ of offence in its con- 

 tests with other fish. In this state the males are called ' Red 

 fish,' or are said to be 'on the reds.' The females are some- 

 what darker in colour, and are known by the name of ' Black 

 fish.' The process of spawning is as follows : A pair of fish, 

 male and female, select a gravelly shallow suitable for the 

 purpose, which is generally occupied also by other spawners, 

 both salmon and trout, as well as by a considerable number 

 of male parrs.^ The female deposits her eggs in shallow 

 furrows in the gravel, to which they adhere by a thin coating 

 of glutinous matter, the male at the same time shedding his 



' There are, however, exceptional rivers, both earlier and later, as already 

 pointed out ; and it is probable that many of the so-called ' barren fish,' enter- 

 ing the fresh water in November and December, spawn id the succeeding 

 October. 



- Parr, as stated in Proved Facts, No. 3, are perfectly qualified to continue 

 their species, and they perform a most impor.ant part in the reproductive 

 process; for the attentions of the male salmon being constantly distracted by 

 the necessity of protecting the spawning bed from the intrusion of the other 

 fish, the ova of the female are during these absences vivified by the milt of the 

 parrs. According to experiments by Mr. John Shaw (subsequently confirmed 

 by those of Stormontfield), male parrs attain to the breeding state in about 

 eighteen months, from the time of hatching. The females, it would appear, 

 never become prolific whilst in the parr state unless they are amongst the 

 exceptional fish alluded to in Proved Facts, No. 4, which remain over the 

 tliird year in the rivers before migratiiig. 



