228 Exfoliation of scales. Chapt. 



If you turn a fish belly upwards, he loses his \ 

 in the water. It is like putting salt on a bird's tail 

 natives can do it. 



Has it never surprised the angler that he se 

 catches a fish with a single scale wanting in its -\ 

 coat, though those scales come off all too readily i 

 hands. It is because scales are renewed like feat 

 and it is believed that a salmon exfoliates its whole 

 of scales every year, in the same way as a bird mi 

 and that this is the reason why a fonl salmon loo 

 dull and dirty with its skin minus scales; while a 

 run salmon is resplendent with a bran new set of si 

 scales. 



Fish have a marked line, somewhat like a j 

 mark, on each side. This is called the lateral line 

 its position and course is very carefully noted by n 

 alists, and even distinguishes species, It is forme 

 minute perforations in each scale, and it is supposi 

 some that its use is to allow of the exuding of the s 

 or mucus matter, with which a fish's scales are cov 

 by others for allowing the escape of a fluid which ] 

 cates the skin beneath. If you will look at the next 

 ed fish you have on your table, you will see a line 

 a cotton thread along the middle of the fish's side 

 is believed to be through this that the perforation 

 fed with the matter which is exuded. 



It is not commonly known that sea-fish can be , 

 matized to fresh water, but it has been done agair 

 again. The salmon is an instance of a sea-fish ti 



