FISHES. 581 
culum or gill-cover. Some brownish irregular spots, variable both in 
form and size, are sprinkled over the sides. In other respects the 
colours are subject to variations according to circumstances. Before 
assuming the characters here indicated, however, the salmon has 
passed through three stages, each of which is marked by peculiarities 
worthy of being noted. The young salmon (Fig. 379) is greyish and 
striped with black. At the end of a year it has acquired a fine 
metallic hue. ~ “ The other parts,” according to Mr. Blanchard, “are 
of a dazzling steel-blue ; eight or ten large spots of the same brilliant 
blue cover it as with a silvery mantle on the sides; between these 
spots a reddish, or, rather, brightish-rusty iron colour prevails; a 
black spot is usually observable in the middle of the operculum. 
The belly is of a fine diaphanous blue in the parr” (Fig. 380). 
Dr. Bertram gives a very clear and intelligible account of the early 
life history of the salmon, which was at one time veiled in mystery. 
“The spawn, deposited by the parent fish in October, November, 
and December, lies in the river till about April or May, when it 
quickens into life. JI have already described the changes apparent in 
the salmon’s egg, from the time of its fructification till the birth of 
the fish. The infant fry are of course very helpless, and are seldom 
seen during the first week or two of their existence, when they carry 
about with them, as a provision for food, a portion of the yoik of the 
egg from whence they were hatched. At that time the fish is about 
half an inch in size, and presents such a singular appearance that no 
person seeing it would ever believe that it would grow into a fine 
grilse or salmon. After absorbing its umbilical bag, which it takes a 
period of twenty to forty days to accomplish, the young salmon may 
be seen about its birthplace, timid and weak, hiding about the stones, 
and always apparently of the same colour as the surroundings of its 
sheltering-place. The transverse bars of the parr, however, speedily 
become apparent, and the fish begins to grow with considerable 
rapidity, especially if it is to be a twelvemonth’s smolt, and this is very 
speedily seen at such a place as the Stormontfield ponds. The 
young fish continue to grow for a little more than two years before 
the whole number make the change from parr to smolt, and seek the 
salt water. About fifty days is required for the animal to assume the 
shape of a perfect fish ; before that time it might be taken for any- 
thing else than a young salmon. At the end of two years it has 
changed into asmolt. Half the number of any one hatching begin to 
change at alittle over twelve months from the date of their coming to 
life. And thus there is the extraordinary anomaly of fish of the same 
hatching being at one and the same time parr of half an ounce in 
