Fishes. 8929 
pressure of my stick, he louks aronnd, as it were reproachfully, but not indignant ; for 
he neither hisses nor emits that most unpleasant odour peculiar to our Natrix. His 
harmless nature having been carefully ascertained (for having once been bitten by an 
adder, we were, so to speak, “ twice shy”), and being taken up, he becomes somewhat 
spiteful, and attempts to bite the hand. Our worthy, but I must add ignorant, friends 
who are working in the fields readily distinguish my prize from the ringed snake and 
the adder, calling it the “ whip-snake ” or “ viper,” believing it to be extremely ven- 
omous, declaring, with looks of unfeigned aversion, that they “ would na touch un for 
a hunder puns.” These worthy but unsophisticated husbandmen, however, believe the 
lizard and the slow-worm to be equally venomous. Thinking the reptile would be 
interesting to many, he was shortly imprisoned in a tiu box, with a bed of leaves to 
repose upon, and sent to Dr. Sclater for the Zoological Gardens, where I believe it 
may yet be seen.—Arthur Adams. 
Notes on the Food and Parasites of the Salmo salar of the Tay. 
By W. Carmicuaet MclInytosu, M.D., F.L.S.* 
THE nature of the food of the Salmo salar has been variously esti- 
mated. Dr. Knox read a paper to the Linnean Society “ On the 
Food of certain gregarious Fishes,”+ including the salmon, in which it 
is stated, “ From the time the salmon enters the fresh water it ceases 
to feed, properly speaking, although it may occasionally rise to a fly, 
or be tempted to attack a worm or minnow, in accordance seemingly 
with its original habits as a smolt. But after first descending to the 
ocean and tasting its marine food, it never again resorts to its infantile 
food as a constant source of nourishment.” He goes on to state that 
nothing whatever is found in the stomach or intestines of the fresh 
sea-salmon but a little reddish substance, which he found to be the 
ova of some species of Echinodermata, and affirms that such is the 
sole food of the salmon in the sea. He combats the views of 
M. Valenciennes, who describes the salmon as voracious and a 
devourer of fishes, and maintains that there is not a single fact in the 
history of British salmon to support this opinion, and concludes 
thus : —“ As to their feeding regularly in rivers, Mr. Young’s ex peri- 
ments have negatived the assertion beyond all doubt.” Yarrell gives 
the authority of Faber to support the assertion that it feeds on small 
fishes and variously small marine animals; and Dr. Fleming says, 
* From the ‘ Proceedings of the Linnean Society,’ vol. vii. p. 145. Read Decem- 
_ber 4, 1862. 
+ The late Dr. Knox’s invaluable paper with this heading is published in the 
‘ Zoologist’ for 1855, at p. 4709: it was rejected by the Linnean Society, and the 
learned author at once brought it to me.—Edward Newman. 
VOL. XXII. K 
