170 THE HAUNTS OF LIFE 
ing-time, often many weeks ahead. While in 
fresh water they feed very little, if at all. 
They need all their muscular energy, too, 
for there are many obstacles to be overcome 
on their way up the rivers, and the salmon gets 
his name from his power of leaping. They are 
said to be able to leap up falls as high as 10 
feet, and their courage and persistence in re- 
turning again and again to the charge after 
failure has thus been described: ‘The lithe 
body, less silvery than usual, shot out of the 
water; then followed a plucky rush amid the 
bubbles; then in seven cases out of ten the fish 
was swept back before it had cleared the sec- 
ond rung of the ladder. It was as exciting as 
a race-course. The favourite cleared one bar- 
rier after another, lost energy at the last, and 
was swept back like a log, while another, with 
less dash about him, cleared every one, and 
shot ahead in the swift, smooth, sullen water 
above the fall. There was pathos in the pas- 
sivity with which the unsuccessful swimmer 
let himself be swirled back to the eddies at the 
footoftheladder. Like a spent horse, he could 
no more, but one knew that he was setting 
his teeth, so to speak, for the next rush.” 
Arrived at the spawning-place—a gravel bed 
