THE NEW AKT OF BEEEDING FISH. 169 



salmon, according to his peregrinations, become dis- 

 tributed over the whole river." A glance at the il- 

 lustration, of which the above is a written descrip- 

 tion, will at once show the extraordinary and extra- 

 vagant way in which Mr. Keiller's salmon spawn. 

 It may be recollected, that in my writings I more 

 than once stated that I could not account for the car- 

 tilaginous, upright excrescence found in the under- 

 jaw of the male salmon during the spawning period. 

 The following is a singular opinion as to the use made 

 of it : — " It is the commonly-received notion, that 

 the hook on the lower jaw of the male salmon is for 

 the purpose of enabling him to assist the female in 

 forming a hole in the bed of the river, for the deposit 

 of her roe. But such itfr. Keiller convinced himself 

 is not the object for which it is designed. In his 

 opinion, it is intended to prevent the males, which in 

 the spawning season are most pugnacious, from kill- 

 ing each other, for when the jaws of even a 25-pound 

 fish are distended to the utmost, the hook is so much 

 in the way, that the opening in the front of the 

 mouth will admit little more than the breadth of a 

 finger, and, consequently, he cannot grasp the body 

 of an antagonist. Indeed, were he able to do so he 

 would soon destroy him." Swedish salmon appear 

 to have all the fighting propensities of that most dis- 

 interested of royal soldiers, Charles XII. ; exempli 

 gratia — " In the breeding seasons the contests be- 

 tween the males are incessant and desperate. Mr. 

 Keiller repeatedly iiotice4 ap immense salmon charge 



