138 EAPIDITY OF SALMON-GEOWTH. 



on being taken out they still retained the same brilliant 

 colours." 



All controversies relating to the growth of salmon may now 

 be held as settled. It has been proved that the parr is the 

 young of the salmon ; the various changes which it undergoes 

 during its growth have been ascertained, and the increase of 

 bulk and weight which accrues in a given period is now well 

 understood. But we still require much information as to the 

 " habits " of fish of the salmon kind. 



In a recent conversation with Mr. Marshall of Stormontfield, 

 while comparing notes on some of the disputed points of salmon 

 growth, we both came to the conclusion that the following dates, 

 founded on the experiments conducted at Stormontfield, might 

 be taken as marking the chief stages in the life of a salmon. 

 An egg deposited in the breeding-boxes in December 1869 

 yielded a fish in April 1870 ; that fish remained as a parr till a 

 little later than the same period of 1871, when, being seized 

 with its migratory instinct, and having upon it the protecting 

 scales of the smolt, it departed from the pond into the river Tay 

 on its way to the sea, having previously had conferred upon it 

 a certain mark by which it could be known if recaptured on its 

 return. It was recaptured as a grilse within less than three 

 months of its departure (July), and weighed about four pounds. 

 Being marked once more, it was again sent away to endure the 

 dangers of the deep ; and lo ! was once more taken, this time a 

 salmon of the goodly weight of ten pounds ! But there comes 

 in here the question if it was the same fish, for it is said that 

 the smolt in some cases remains a whole winter in the sea, and 

 therefore that the fish I have been alluding to was a smolt that 

 had never come back as a grilse. I have a theory that half of 

 the brood of smolts sent to sea do remain over the winter and 

 come back as salmon, while the others come back almost im- 

 mediately as grilse. It is possible, however, that any particular 

 fish may lose its river for a season, and be in some other water 

 for a time as a grilse, and then finding its birth-stream come 

 once again to its " procreant cradle." The rapidity of salmon- 

 growth, however, I consider to be undoubtedly proved. 



A good deal has been said in various quarters about the best 

 way of marking a young salmon, so that at some future stage of 

 its life it may be easily identified. Cutting off the dead fin is 

 not thought a good plan of marking, because such a mark may 

 be accidentally imitated, and so mislead those interested, or it 



