OUK INLAND PISHEEIES. 23 



transverse bands, and strongly resembling a young 

 trout, changes its scales, and takes on it the brilliant 

 silvery armour of a young salmon ; a pretty, bright 

 and thoroughbred-looking little creature it is at this 

 age, incessant in activity, darting at every small fly 

 and insect that attracts its attention. When taken 

 in the hand the transverse marks of the parr state 

 have apparently disappeared; but if the scales, 

 which come oif in the hand at the slightest touch, 

 be removed, the dark parr marks may still be dis- 

 covered beneath them, proving the identity of the 

 fish with the parr-marked fish. When it has reached 

 the stage above described it is called a smelt, and is 

 ready for its first migration to the sea. 



With the first floods in April and May it begins 

 to drop down the river from pool to pool and from 

 stream to stream in large numbers, and finally 

 reaching the open sea, it for a time is lost to us, 

 and we know little of its habits save that it feeds 

 voraciously while there on small fish and molluscs. 

 Some authorities declare that this change and migra- 

 tion does not take place until the fish has achieved 

 its second year, but others maintain that it takes 

 place after one year. Experiment, however, has 

 shown that to an extent both are right in their 

 assertions, for it has been proved that while many. 



