SALMON— FORMING REDDS OR NESTS. 81 



and, by moving her tail rapidly from one side to the other, fans up the gravel* 

 until she gradually sinks into a kind of trough, the male remaining near, ready 

 to give battle to any intruder. Perhaps for this purpose his lower jaw is furnished 

 at this period with an offensive weapon in the shape of a cartilaginous, hook-like 

 process. The female (waited upon by the male) now deposits her eggs in the 

 trough she has made, and these are fertilized by the male, and subsequently 

 covered with gravel to some feet in depth, the whole forming a redd. 



rt has been remarked that should there be plenty of water to let the fish into 

 rivers in time, salmon are many days constructing their nests, doing a little every 

 night, but if prevented ascending until quite ripe they are much more rapid in 

 their operations, and if much disturbed they have been known to forsake the 

 spot, while a little frost or fail of temperature will hasten the deposition of eggs. 



When the salmon has formed her nest and deposited her first instalment of 

 eggs she falls back into one of the deep pools, until she has acquired sufficient 

 strength to again shed more eggs. The places selected by salmon for their redds are 

 sometimes the localities where trout have previously deposited their eggs, which now 

 become routed up and carried away down stream to be devoured by every hungry 

 fish. The absence of frosts is favourable to the eggs in the redds (see p. 39), 

 while although floods may sweep away redds, moderate ones protect them from 

 poachers. Mild seasons and late spates seem best adapted for preventing mortality 

 among the breeders.f 



probably with his nose rooted as a swine, or something like it, and fecundated the eggs. The 

 milter having retired to the depth of the water gives place to the spawner, wbo works a trough 

 like a cistern in sand or gravel as near as he could guess about her own proportions, into which 

 she jumbles and tumbles her eggs and gently covers them over with sand. Shaw {Development 

 and Growth of Salmon Fry, in the Transactions of the Eoyal Society of Edinburgh, xiv, 1840, 

 page 551), stated that " on January 10th, 1836, he observed a female salmon of about 16 lb. and 

 two males of at least 25 lb. engaged in depositing their spawn. The two males kept up an 

 incessant conflict during the whole day for possession of the female, and, in the course of their 

 struggles, frequently drove each other almost ashore, and were repeatedly on the surface, 

 displaying their dorsal fins and lashing the water with their tails. The female throws herself at 

 intervals of a few minutes upon her side, and, while in this position, by the rapid action of her 

 tail digs a receptacle for her ova, a portion of which she deposits, and, again turning on her 

 side, she covers it up by renewed action of her tail, thus alternately digging, depositing and 

 covering the ova, until the process is completed by the laying of the whole mass, an operation 

 which generally occupies three or four days." In the Report of Salmon Commission, 1824, we read, 

 Mr. Halliday stated " they generally spawn in the running water, at the foot of fords and the 

 top of fords, where the gravel is fine, and low down in the foot of pools where the water begins 

 to run, so as to assist the salmon in removing the gravel " (p. 60). " When they proceed to the 

 shallow waters, which is generally in the morning or at twilight in the evening, they play round 

 the ground two of them together. When they begin to make the furrow, they work up the gravel 

 rather against the stream, as a salmon cannot work with his head down the stream, for the water 

 going into his giUs the wrong way drowns him : and when they have made a furrow, they go 

 a little distance the one to one side and the other to the other side of the furrow, and throw 

 themselves on their sides when they come together, and, rubbing against each other, they shed 

 their spawn both into the furrow at once." "It requires from about eight to twelve days for 

 them to lay their spawn." Mr. Atkins in the United States observed a land-locked salmon 

 excavating her nest by turning on her side and flopping violently against the bottom with her 

 tail ; while the male was engaged in driving away rivals and predaceous foes. Mackenzie {I. c. 

 page 13) observed that in forming redds the exertions of the spawners are greatly assisted by the 

 action of the water in the streams : " they commence their operations at the lower extremity, 

 shedding the ova and milt as they proceed, so that, in working upwards, the gravel thus stirred 

 is carried down by the strength of the current and covers the spawn as it is deposited. In still 

 waters this would not be the case, nor, unaided by the current or action of the water, could the 

 fish make the necessary furrows. Their instincts, therefore, which in aU animals are perfect, 

 points out to them the proper place for their operations." But the foregoing and evidently 

 correct accounts have not passed unchallenged, and many persons stiU beheve that the use of 

 the knob on the jaw of the male fish {see page 80) is to rout up the gravel and form or complete 

 the redd. We find Mr. Andrew Young, of Invershin, 1849, referring as follows to this subject. 

 " A salmon-bed is constructed thus : the fish having paired, chosen their ground for bed-making, 

 and being ready to lay in, they drop down the stream a little, and then returning with velocity 

 towards the spot selected, they dart their heads into the gravel, burrowing with their snouts into 

 it. This burrowing action, assisted by the power of the fins, is performed with great force." 



' Possibly one reason for the SalmonidsB covering their eggs is to prevent their being moved for 

 some days after they have been deposited, as such is a very potent cause of mortality among ova. 



t " Piscator " in the Fishing Gazette of March 6th, 1886, observed : " There were about six or 

 seven male fish (salmon) surrounding a female. There was one fellow who appeared to be king. 



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