44 SALMONID^. 



Samlet ; and some of his observations are here repeated, 

 adopting only the name of Samlet, for reasons that will be 

 hereafter explained. 



" The old Samlets begin to deposit their spawn in De- 

 cember, and continue spawning the whole of that month, 

 and perhaps some part of January. As this season of the 

 year is not favourable for angling, few or no observations 

 are made during these months. As soon as they have 

 spawned, they retire, like the Salmon, to the sea, where 

 they remain till the autumn, when they again return to the 

 rivers." 



" The spawn deposited by the old Samlets in the sand 

 begins to exclude the young or fry, according to the tempe- 

 rature of the season, either in April or May. The young 

 Samlets remain in the rivers where they were spawned dur- 

 ing the whole of the spring, summer, and autumn, and do 

 not acquire their full size till the autumn, about which time 

 the old ones return from the sea. Hence it is evident that, 

 although there are Samlets of various sizes in the spring 

 and fore part of the summer, there will be no very large 

 ones till the autumn, when the young ones have nearly 

 acquired their full size, and the old ones have returned to 

 associate with their ofFspring." 



" If the weather be mild and open in January and Fe- 

 bruary, Samlets are taken when retiring to the sea with 

 empty bellies, and in a weak emaciated condition. In 

 short, we see Samlets of various sizes — we see them with 

 milt and roe in various stages, and we see them perfectly 

 empty ; all which circumstances clearly prove that they are 

 a distinct species." 



Sir William Jardine, during an excursion in Sutherland- 

 shire, observed that the Parr decreased in numbers as he 

 proceeded northward ; and detailing the result of his obser- 



