THE SALMON FAMILY 57 
obstacle which bars his progress to the spawning 
grounds. When the salmon first leaves the sea this 
apparently aimless leaping into the air may be due to 
his endeavours to get rid of the sea lice which cover his 
body, but later when these parasites have dropped off 
in the fresh water, it is difficult to explain the reason 
for his gymnastic feats, except by the fact that the 
fish is uncomfortable in fresh water. 
It certainly does not add to the prospect of killing 
a fish when salmon are jumping all around; but there 
are few who are not fascinated by his movements. 
Watch him as he leaps out of the water; frequently 
he shoots up as straight as an arrow, then by a quick 
turn he will again cleave the water with his head as 
neatly as an expert diver. At other times he will twist 
into a complete circle, sending a spray of water off his 
body. 
In the autumn, salmon, like the brown trout, repair 
to the spawning beds, often going up into such shallow 
water that the fins on their backs appear above the 
surface. The spawning usually takes place in November 
and December, and this quite irrespective of when the 
fish left the sea to come into fresh water. The actual 
shedding of the eggs may take several days. First, the 
female fish lies on her side and fans away the gravel with 
her tail, so as to make a trench into which she deposits 
a portion of her eggs; the male, following after her, 
fertilises the eggs, which are again covered over with 
gravel as the fish move along. When the spawning is 
