386 COMMON SALMON. Class IV. 



that part. The spawn lies buried till spring, if 

 not disturbed by violent floods ; but the salmon 

 hasten to sea as soon as they are able, to 

 purify and cleanse themselves, and to recover 

 their strength ; for after spawning they become 

 very poor and lean, and then are called Kipper. 

 When the salmon first enter the fresh water, 

 they are observed to have abundance of insects 

 adhering to them, especially above the gills; 

 these are the Lerncecr, salmonea of Linnceus, 

 and are signs that the fish are in his;h season. 

 These animals die and drop off, soon after the 

 salmon have left the sea. 



About the latter end of March the spawn 

 begins to exclude the young, which gradually 

 increase to the length of four or five inches, and 

 are then termed Smelts or Smouts: about the 

 beginning of May the river is full of them ; it 

 seems to be all alive ; there can be formed no 

 idea of the numbers without seeing them ; but a 

 seasonable flood then hurries them all to the 

 sea, scarcely any or very few being left in the 

 river. 



About the middle of June the earliest of the 

 fry begin to drop, as it were, into the river 

 again from the sea, at that time about twelve, 

 fourteen, or sixteen inches, and by a gradual 

 progress, increase in number and size till about 



