﻿280 
  THE 
  ZOOLOGIST. 
  

  

  At 
  the 
  June 
  sale 
  the 
  " 
  Osprey 
  " 
  feathers 
  numbered 
  165 
  packages. 
  

   There 
  were 
  1335 
  Birds 
  of 
  Paradise, 
  10 
  cases 
  of 
  Peacock-feathers 
  (about 
  

   1001b. 
  to 
  the 
  case), 
  13 
  packages 
  of 
  quills, 
  and 
  87 
  cases 
  of 
  various 
  bird- 
  

   skins, 
  which 
  last 
  included 
  many 
  Humming-Birds, 
  Tanagers, 
  Impeyan 
  

   and 
  Argus 
  Pheasants 
  ; 
  Owls 
  (one 
  firm 
  offered 
  3674), 
  Bronze 
  Ibis 
  (skins 
  

   and 
  wings), 
  Mandarin 
  Ducks, 
  &c. 
  Japanese 
  Teal 
  are 
  seldom 
  seen 
  at 
  

   these 
  sales, 
  but 
  one 
  firm 
  offered 
  for 
  sale 
  7200 
  pairs 
  of 
  wings. 
  — 
  The 
  

   Shootimj 
  Times 
  and 
  British 
  Sportsman. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  practically 
  certain, 
  Mr. 
  B. 
  Lydekker 
  declares 
  in 
  ' 
  Knowledge 
  & 
  

   Illustrated 
  Scientific 
  News 
  ' 
  for 
  July, 
  that 
  from 
  the 
  time 
  Salmon 
  leave 
  

   the 
  sea 
  until 
  the 
  close 
  of 
  the 
  spawning 
  operations 
  they 
  take, 
  as 
  a 
  rule, 
  

   no 
  food 
  of 
  any 
  kind. 
  It 
  may 
  be 
  taken 
  as 
  an 
  established 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  

   true 
  feeding-ground 
  of 
  the 
  Salmon 
  is 
  the 
  ocean, 
  and 
  that 
  while 
  in 
  fresh 
  

   water 
  these 
  fish 
  preserve 
  a 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  strict 
  and 
  complete 
  fast. 
  Much 
  

   the 
  same 
  is 
  true 
  of 
  the 
  Pacific 
  species 
  of 
  Salmon, 
  which 
  belong 
  to 
  a 
  

   distinct 
  genus 
  (Oncorhynchus), 
  and 
  afford 
  a 
  large 
  proportion 
  of 
  our 
  

   supply 
  of 
  tinned 
  Salmon. 
  After 
  leaving 
  tidal 
  waters 
  the 
  throat 
  of 
  

   these 
  fishes 
  becomes 
  contracted, 
  and 
  their 
  stomachs 
  are 
  almost 
  always 
  

   found 
  to 
  be 
  empty. 
  '• 
  The 
  tendency 
  to 
  feed," 
  write 
  Messrs. 
  Townsend 
  

   and 
  Smith, 
  " 
  becomes 
  less 
  the 
  longer 
  they 
  remain, 
  and 
  when 
  one 
  has 
  

   seen 
  the 
  enormous 
  runs 
  of 
  Salmon 
  that 
  sometimes 
  actually 
  crowd 
  the 
  

   streams, 
  so 
  that 
  it 
  would 
  be 
  impossible 
  to 
  wade 
  without 
  stepping 
  upon 
  

   them, 
  it 
  becomes 
  apparent 
  that 
  they 
  could 
  not 
  make 
  their 
  rapid 
  

   journeys 
  to 
  the 
  head-waters 
  of 
  the 
  largest 
  rivers 
  and 
  have 
  time 
  to 
  

   feed, 
  and 
  that 
  there 
  could 
  not 
  be 
  food 
  enough 
  to 
  supply 
  them 
  if 
  they 
  

   required 
  it. 
  If 
  such 
  hordes 
  should 
  become 
  hungry 
  while 
  on 
  the 
  

   spawning-grounds 
  hundreds 
  of 
  miles 
  from 
  the 
  sea, 
  one 
  could 
  imagine 
  

   the 
  effect 
  on 
  the 
  spawning 
  operations. 
  As 
  a 
  matter 
  of 
  fact, 
  the 
  Salmon, 
  

   after 
  leaving 
  tide-water, 
  lives 
  on 
  its 
  own 
  supply 
  of 
  fat 
  and 
  blood. 
  Its 
  

   flesh 
  becomes 
  less 
  and 
  less 
  red, 
  and 
  the 
  fish 
  becomes 
  thinner 
  as 
  it 
  

   advances 
  up 
  stream. 
  . 
  . 
  . 
  The 
  degree 
  of 
  emaciation 
  reached, 
  and 
  the 
  

   extent 
  of 
  the 
  injuries 
  received 
  by 
  the 
  Salmon 
  by 
  the 
  time 
  it 
  has 
  

   spawned, 
  preclude 
  the 
  possibility 
  of 
  its 
  recovering, 
  even 
  if 
  it 
  reaches 
  

   salt 
  water 
  alive. 
  Death 
  is 
  a 
  natural 
  result 
  of 
  the 
  conditions." 
  In 
  thus 
  

   starving 
  and 
  spawning 
  themselves 
  to 
  death, 
  Pacific 
  Salmon 
  (of 
  which 
  

   there 
  are 
  several 
  kinds) 
  differ 
  markedly 
  from 
  our 
  own 
  Salmo 
  salar 
  — 
  by 
  

   far 
  the 
  finer 
  and 
  nobler 
  fish 
  — 
  which 
  may 
  return 
  to 
  its 
  spawning- 
  

   grounds 
  for 
  several 
  years 
  in 
  succession. 
  

  

  