80 THE LIFE OF THE SALMON 
so (unless the female is a large one) in fertilising the 
ova of one female, but, like blackcock among birds, are 
somewhat catholic in their temporary attachments. 
That a partially spent or completely spent kelt may 
on occasion descend to the sea and ascend another 
river has been evidenced on more than one occasion. 
The Spey to Dee fish already referred to is an in- 
stance; another Spey fish—a male of 304 lb.— 
after being handled at the Fochabers hatchery, 
turned up again in the Deveron in three months as 
a kelt, believed to be not yet completely spent, 
weighing 28 lb. 
It is rather striking that the fish which show 
those pecular reascents are male fish which have 
been a good deal handled and stripped at hatcheries, 
and in all probability the descent and reascent would 
not have taken place in this apparently unnatural 
manner had the fish paired and spawned and pos- 
sibly again paired without interference. A marked 
example of this peculiarity is seen in a fish which, 
like D 95, was conveyed to a pond and retained for 
hatchery purposes at Sandside. It was caught in 
the sea during the fishing season of 1905, and held 
up in fresh water till spawning time. It was 
stripped (a male), marked on January 15, 1906, and 
turned loose in a small stream not far from the 
hatchery. As is well known, no kelt seems to care 
to remain in a small stream for any length of time, 
and we are therefore not surprised to learn that the 
fish went to the sea without delay ; but this fish was 
captured up the river Thurso, fourteen miles up, in 
sixteen days. A frightened creature commonly and 
