THIRTEENTH ANNUAL MEETING. AZ] 
in autumn. Whether there is a corresponding class in May and 
June, | am unable to say, but judging from the weights of cap- 
tures shown by some scores submitted to me, | think it quite 
likely. 
Fifth class. Adults. There is a great range in size, and doubt- 
less some are of advanced age and belong to an additional class, 
but as there seems to be an unbroken series from the smallest to 
the largest, I am unable to separate them, and were a separation 
possible and the fish classified according to age it is not unlike- 
ly that the different classes would be found overlapping each 
other in respect to size,—that is, the larger fish among those that 
are in their first year of adult-hood may be ‘larger than the small- 
est of those that are a year older than the smallest adults on my 
record were. 
Now what conclusions are we to draw from these data? On 
the supposition that each of the first four classes represents a 
separate stage of growth, with intervals of one year in each case, 
the fifth or adult class must be, when caught in November, five 
years of age from the date of the deposit of the egg, or four anda 
half years from the date of hatching. I have, however, some doubts 
as to the validity of the distinction between classes two and 
three, the former being equivalent to the male parr of the British 
salmon and the latter having not yet fully attained to the “smolt”’ 
stage, which should be distinguished by entire absence of any 
external bars or spots. The position and significance of class 
four (13 inches, barren) is also not entirely free from doubt. It 
is possible that such fish are of adult age, but barren from some 
unknown cause, and on the supposition that such is the case 
there will appear to be no intermediate form between the third 
class (that has almost reached the smolt stage) and the adults, 
and hence the interval of time separating these two becomes 
more than ever a matter of conjecture; but as we are tolerably 
certain that a year (from impregnation) is required to attain 
three inches in length, and another to attain eight inches, it is 
hardly reasonable therefore to suppose that the growth from 
eight inches to the adult stage would be accomplished in a single 
year. 
My conclusion is that the following is the most probable 
