80 GILPIN ON THE TROUT AND SALMON. 



half seen through his watery home. They are now said to return 

 to the sea, principally because we find them there in early spring. 

 This part of his return journey has not so many landmarks about it 

 as I could wish. Indeed some say they remain all winter in the 

 lakes, and no doubt many do. Thus it may be said that the salmon 

 in Nova Scotia have their piincipal run from the ocean to the lakes 

 in April, May and Jane — that they spawn in November and imme- 

 diately return. But this is only generally true. From a number 

 of facts I am led to conclude there is a perpetual passing up and 

 down daring the whole summer. On the 20th of May, 1865, 1 pro- 

 cured from the tide way at Bedford Bridge, five young salmon from 

 six to eight inches long, these I suppose were fry of the ast year, 

 fifteen or sixteen months old, going to the sea for the first time. 

 With the exception of a few vei'niillion spots upon them, and that 

 the nose was rounded and short, they were true salmon, teeth per- 

 fect and some with ova. It is now admitted (from the numerous 

 and conclusive experiments of marking fish) that they visit the ocean 

 and return in a few weeks weighing six to seven pounds, and spavrn 

 in November. Successive runs of these fish must be perpetually pass- 

 ing up and down our rivers. In September, female spawning fish, 

 entirely discoloured, and filled with spawn of the size of back shot, 

 which escapes readily, are exposed in market from the Shubenacadie 

 river, and one would never think they could retain their spawn till 

 November. The year just past was unusually dry and the lakes and 

 streams low. Thus Bedford river, near Halifax, was thronged with 

 fish unable to get up. In November thirty were counted from Flat 

 rock in one deep hole. Our markets have always a run of Novem- 

 ber salmon taken outside on the ocean, in the highest condition, and 

 which according to Col. Hardy, have the ova very small and unde- 

 veloped. Thus at one point of time we have three sets of fish, one 

 spawning or spawned in the lakes, one running up, and a third 

 ranging the ocean unimpregnatcd. From these facts we must deduce 

 that there are modifications perpetually occurring to vary within cer- 

 tain limits any general law. On his passage he readily takes the fly, 

 during his sojourn in the lakes not ; though of these facts I am 

 not quite certain. In the ocean we find him a deep feeder, his food 

 being said to be the spawn of various fish, and he is often taken by 

 bait fishing on our coast some distance from shore, and at about sixty 



