120 THE HABITS OF THE SALMON. 



watchers may walk the river-banks for months 

 without seeing a single fish show itself; and thou- 

 sands of smolts may have passed them on their 

 way to sea year after year in autumn and winter 

 absolutely unseen by any one. In fact, had it not 

 been proved by the eel-traps, the presence of these 

 fish at Galway would probably have remained un- 

 known for years. But in spite of the conclusive 

 evidence of the winter emigrations from two rivers, 

 it cannot be taken for granted that such is the 

 general habit elsewhere. Smolts bred in the 

 Stormontfield, Howietown and other fish-ponds 

 have never as yet been known to evince the least 

 desire to go to sea before the spring months. 

 This of itself tends to upset the autumn or winter 

 theory, but if I am rightly informed, the smolts in 

 ponds mentioned above are bred exclusively from 

 the ova of autumn salmon. After hatching, the fry 

 ta:ke a certain time to develop themselves into 

 parr, and do not reach the smolt stage until the 

 spring twelve months after the date of their birth. It 



