14 



the female enters it as she did the first, again depositing a 

 portion of ova, and drops a little down stream. The male 

 forthwith enters the excavation and impregnates the ova in 

 it. The different nests are not made on the same day, but 

 on different days progressively. The ova in the first are 

 covered with gravel and sand, dug from the second, being 

 carried into it chiefly by the action of the current. The ex- 

 cavating process just ^described is day by day continued until 

 the female has no more ova to deposit. The last deposition 

 of ova is covered in by the action of the fish and water, 

 breaking down some of the gravel crust above and over the 

 nest. Thus is formed a complete spawning bed, not at once, 

 not by a single effort, but piecemeal, at several intervals of 

 greater or less duration, according to the size of the fish and 

 quantity of ova to be deposited." 



When the female salmon or trout is engaged in depositing 

 her ova the male is very attentive, and fiercely attacks any fish 

 that attempts to eat the spawn or approach his mate. It is 

 a curious fact and a wise provision in nature that during the 

 spawning period fish will rarely ever eat anything. Were it 

 otherwise they would devour their own spawn, for every fish- 

 erman knows how greedUy trout and other fish will eat 

 spawn, even of their own species, when given to them away 

 from their spawning beds. It is said* that neither shad 

 nor salmon ever have any food in their stomach after reach- 

 ing fresh water, and the presumption is that they gain most 

 of their sustenance in the salt water after they make their 

 first trip to it. It is well known that they invariably are fat 

 when they enter fresh water and lean when they leave it. 



The period of incubation for trout and salmon varies ac- 

 cording to the temperature of the water in which the ova are 

 deposited. From the testimony of an English writer f sal- 

 mon spawn have been known to hatch in thirty days, while 



* See Norris' American Angler, 

 f Prank Buckland. 



