230 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[Afbil 19, 1888. 



Rlso been experimenting on the voting salmon, with a view 

 to determine whether or not parr grew into srnolt, and at 

 what age the change from the first stage to the second lock 

 place. Mr. Young said the Change took place in a 

 period of twelve months, while .Shaw maintained that 

 two yeare elapsed before the parr assumed the scales of 

 the sinoll. Curiously enough, liotll in the sequel proved to 

 bi right; but the difficulty which had arisen was not settled 

 till the salmon nursery of the river Tay had been in use. for 

 a period of two years! Shaw, when lie became thoroughly 

 interested in the expciimcnts he bad undertaken, and excited 



by the puposition which was offered to his conclusions, 



buckled to his work in such a way as to astonish his oppon- 

 ents, His ultimate triumph was complete in its every detail. 

 "1 compelled my enemies to admit," he said, "that I Had 

 proved the parr to he the young of the salmon, and the sal- 

 mon to be the parent of the parr." 



It seemed the very irony of fate that Mr. Robert Buist 

 -who had been in his day a commercial salmon-Usher in a 

 large way of business, and who had hotly challenged and 

 decried the Eltriek Shepherd's discovery that parr were the 



young oi the salmon— should, as superintendent, of the Tay 

 fisheries, have to proclaim noi only that parr were young 

 salmon, hut also that of each hatching a moiety became 

 smelts at the end of one year, while the other moiety did 

 not assume the scales or become imbued with the migratory 



i nt till th.-yhad attained the age of two years. This 

 point of salmon growth may be held to have been finally 

 i by the operations conducted at Stormontfield, which 

 began in the year 1858, and arc still continuing. No one 

 ran explain this peculiar problem of parr life— how it comes 

 that of two eggs deposited at the same time by the same fish, 

 one becomes a '.-.moll, and seeks the salt watcAwclve months 

 earlier than a fish bom of the other egg! Various experi- 

 ments have been tried to find on what principle sui b ' 

 operation of nature has been arranged, but without a 

 The young fish which seek the sea at the end of the first 

 year are well mixed, there beiug a due proportion of males 

 and females— the same holding good of the half of the 

 hrood which remain in the ponds. Nor has the size of the 

 salmon from which supplies of ova and milt for artificial 

 spawning are obtained anything to do with the solution of 

 this remarkable problem. A -10-lb. female fish may provide 

 the eggs and a Mb. grilse the milt, without affecting the re- 

 -u.lt. None of our fishery experts, nor any of the natural' 

 iSte of the period, have been able to solve this remarkable 

 riddle in natural history. 



For the salmon's first entry in the time-table of its life 



i " i -i-is reliable dftta; and to insure precision of 



statement, we shall enter the figures in their order, which is 

 as follows: 



Salmon eggs taken from the gravid fish, let us say from 

 the 11th November 1862, till the'llth December of the same 

 year, and fertilized with milt obtained in the same manner 

 and at the same time from Tay salmon. These fish came to 

 life in (first egg broke on the 18th) March 1803— the hatch- 

 ing process til was an open winter) occupying about 115 

 days; in some years 180 days elapse before eggs hatched in 

 the open air burst and the young salmon are released from 

 their fragile prison. About' Ibth'May. 1864, the first division 

 of the crop of young fish (eggs) of 1802 began to leave the 

 Stormontfield ponds as stuolts, and the migration continued 

 till about the 83th of the same month. 



At the date of their migration these young ones would be. 

 say. fourteen months old. 



Tie: other moiety of the fish was left in the pond (or 

 rather would have been left, had not the pond burst and the 

 fish, escaped into the river) for another year, and would not 

 Change into smolts til! they were fully twenty-six months 

 old. being at that time in the river Tay. 



To this point the lish can be watched and traced — has 

 been in reality watched and traced for a period of thirty 

 years— with the utmost accuracy; and before speculating 

 further on the salmon's tenure of existence, it may be per- 

 mitted as to state that the parr cannot exist in salt water. 



ii can the eggs of the salmon be hatched in the sea, as has 

 been sometimes affirmed; both experiments have been tried 

 and failed. On the other hand, smolts clad in their panoply 

 of scales have been carried from the river Tay to Stonehaven 

 in Kincardineshire, a distance of sixty miles ; and upon be- 

 ing placed in a salt water pond at once took kindly to their 

 new habitation, and rapidly became of greater size and 

 weight, In about six month's three ot the smolts in question 

 were seen, and by that time they had doubled their size. 



Among the curiosities of parr life may be mentioned the 

 fact that specimens of these tiny fish have occasionally been 

 taken with their milt well developed. This circumstance 



i riist noticed ami tested by Mr. Shaw of Drunilanrig, 

 Who stated that with the milt of a parr— be it noted a fish 

 about the size of a minnow— he had successfully fructified 

 the eggs of a large salmon, and a similar experiment, with 

 like result, was tried at Stormontfield. As regards female 

 parr, none have been observed with their roc so developed as 

 to give hope of their being aide to perpetuate their kind: by 

 far the greater portion of flic females in their first year seem 

 destitute of the most rudimentary signs of ova. 



As may be supposed, the operations carried on at Stor- 

 montfield were taken advantage of to ascertain some facts 

 as to the. rate of growth of the fish. Various modes of 

 marking the departing .-molts were at different times 

 adopted, so that, when any of them were caught, they 

 might be recognized. Havi'ug some personal knowledge of 

 what, was done in the way of marking the smolts, and hav- 

 ing more than once been present at the annual Ci'odus ol 

 those fish, the writer claims to speak with some little 

 authority upon this matter. First of all, let it be stated 

 that the dangers io which the young fish are exposed are so 

 manifold and regular in their occurrence, that it ha 

 calculated by some fishery economists that not above one 

 or al the very most two. 'eggs in each thousand deposited 

 by the female salmon arrive at maturity as table fish. This 

 is a statement, however, which must be accepted with a Con- 

 siderable degree of reserve. That a very large percentage 

 of the eggs of all fish are never hatched we know; it is a 



ii se will by and by be shown, incidental to the con- 

 ditions under which the parent salmon ami other fish deposit 

 their ova; but to believe that only one or two out of 

 each thousand eggs come to maturity as fish tit for the table, 

 would imply such an enormous number of breeding salmon 



as no river could well coulain. in addition Io tin- growing 



stock. To provide the salmon tycl ol fh ' i.y, for instance 

 —from which stream It la aecessarj everj season to take 



70,000 to 80,000 salmon to pay rent of fishing stations and 

 wages of fishermen, wear and tear of fishing-gear and 

 interest of capital employed— would require a greater stock 

 Of ' spuwners" and "milters" than its tributaries have appa- 

 rently room to contain. It is impossible to make up a census 



of the salmon population of the river Tay, but it is certain 

 that at all periods of the year it must contain probably over 

 a million fish of all ages/from tiny parr— of perhaps 100 to 

 I he pound weight— to the comparative giants of the water, 

 which weigh from 36 to -IO lbs. In the montlisof April and 

 May, for instance, there will be in the river at the same time 

 parr about two months old, parr fourteen mouths old, and 

 parr hist changing into smolts. as two-year-olds. There 

 will also be spring salmon, and probably a few grilse, coming 

 Up from the sea. while there will be "fish of Ihe salmon 

 kind" of all age-, and dimensions, ascending and descending 

 the river by day and bv night; the capturing of markel able 

 specimens for sale will he going on actively as well, so that 

 the time-table of salmon life, as regards the Tay, or. indeed, 

 any other stream, will be full of the most varied figur 

 one could tabulate them with any degrei 

 annual renewal of Ihe Tin --...el.', if the 

 Were to be adopted, WOUld require bctw 



female salmon alone, eaoh weighing Jo 



anteed to produce 20,000 egg.-,;' a similar 

 WOUld be necessary — althpUl U, at I mm 

 will suffice to spawn the eggs of se 

 curiously enough, the sexes an far front 



ber. If we take into account the fish sir 

 number of breeders indicated would be 



In consequence, then, of the mortality 



very large number of any particular 1 

 to be marked to insure one or tw 

 either as grilse or larger fish; the 

 one occasion sixty-four smolts w 

 cut in the dead tin 

 were afterward id 



f accuracy 



. The 





1 8,000 



Vdy of m 



of fact, o 

 al fcmalt 



h guar- 

 de~ fish 

 io male 



s— but, 



we belie 



ing equal in num- 



by poachers, the 

 ullicient. 



sident to fish life, 

 id would require 



beiug recaptured 



>ie, when we say that on 



IT smolts were marked by a particular 



itl that no less than five of these fish 



fled (in the course of about ten weeks), 



then 



that which pretty nearly amount, 

 bility — namely, that seven per cent, of the 

 smolts (TO per 1,090) return to their native water as well- 

 grown fish: the inference— a fair one iu the circumstances — 

 being that there would be more of the marked fish in the 

 waters than those absolutely caught. If there were other 

 five, that would represent the. return of 110 per 1,000, which 

 would detract from the value of all previous calculations as 

 to the percentage of destruction. The smolts, when marked, 

 would probably be about five inches in length, and of corre- 

 sponding girth. The date of the marking operation was. 

 34th -May. 1868, on which day the BmolU were liberated 

 from tire ponds, the periods of" recapture being as follows: 



Aug. 16. — A grilse weighing lb s . was reported as haying 

 hi i a in. and as having the mark made on it when it 



was a smolt, 



Aug. 20.— Another of the marked fish taken as a grilse, 

 weighing o lbs. (Both of these fish were identified by Mr. 

 Buist and Mr. Brown, who performed the operation of 

 marking). 



Aug. 23.— Another marked fish taken which weighed 



si ii.s: 



Aug. 26.— A marked grilse captured, but weight not 

 given. 



Sept. 10.— A grilse of 7 lbs. taken, tdso bearing the pond 

 mark. 



The weights of the four fish given show an average growth 

 of something like 6 lbs. as having taken place within say a 

 hundred days; in the case of the heaviest fish, within a 

 period indeed of eighty-four days. This rate of growth, 

 too, is wonderful when compared with that of the" smolts 

 placed in the salt-water pond at Stonehaven; these fish only 

 rloUbled then.- size in six months, when they would be some 

 nine inches long, anfj about twelve ounces or thereabouts 

 in weight, Verily the quick rate of increase of size iu the 

 sea is marvellous as a fact in Ihe natural history of the 

 salmon. The value of this striking change which takes 

 place, as regards the V. s. d. of (he question, is also of the 

 greatest importance; it means that, from beiug an article of 

 almost no money value, smolts become in less than one 

 hundred days fish worth eight, or ten shillings each at the 

 whole-ale rate. It is not stated whether or" not. the 0-lb. 

 grilse contained roe. or milt, which is to be regretted, 

 because at the weight indicated the flsh presumably would 

 be seeking a place in which to repeat the story of it's birth; 

 and to add to the curiosity of the situation, these fish might 

 be able to spawn their eggs to be hatched, and the first 

 moiety of the brood be going 'o the sea at the same time as 

 their uncles and aunts! Founding on these facts, the time- 

 tables of salmon life now : stand as follows: 



Of the same brood, one moiely has remained iu the ponds 

 from the date of hatching as parr, weighing probably an 

 ounce, while the other moiely, Inning attained to the scales 

 of the smolt, have gone oil to the sea and have returned as 

 grilse of the average weight of 6 lbs. ! 



' That the markings of the smolts referred to were care- 

 fully made is certain, and that Mr. Brown, teacher, Perth, 

 and'Mr. Buist, superintendent of the River Tay Fisheries, 

 thought the fish which they saw to be the fish marked at 

 Stormontfield. there need be no hesitation iu believing. 

 These gentlemen acted throughout in good faith. Our own 

 doubts arise, not so much from the mode of marking which 



lie; 



not ai- 

 re when a reward is of- 

 and has been imitated— 

 fish retaken— a number 

 3ted as purely imagina- 

 hich takes place among 

 Some naturalists 1 



was adopted — marking tl 

 convincing in the event i' I cap 

 f'ercd, seeing that the mark may 

 but from the large percentage o 

 that previously would have been 

 inc. considering the destruction 

 the smolts w hen they reach the Si 

 calculated that not above twenty-five in each thousand of 

 ihe -molts that descend from ihe upper waters of a river to 

 in i.i will return as living fish. At the mouths of all 

 salmon rivers there awaits (lie annual advent of the smolts 

 an army of enemies with keen appetites, so that the carnage 

 which takes place is positively dreadful. Moreover.it has 

 been surmised by one or two naturalists that half of the 

 smolts remain in the sea for a vear before seeking to return 

 to the place of their birth! Of the sixty-four fish marked 

 as smolts by Mr. Brown, therefore, if half remained in the 

 sea, and none at all fell victims to their enemies cil her going 

 or coming, five, according to all showing, was an extraor- 

 dinary number to recapture; and the fact being taken for 

 granted, the question then arises, whether or nor the rates 

 of increase will continue— that is to say, will a fish, which 

 adds lbs. to its weight in a hundred days, attain a weight 

 of 20 lbs. within a year!' Should that lie so, the 33-lb. fish 

 of our imagination" may not have been much above two 

 years of age, while its brothers and .sisters might still have 



Before going further, il may he as well to recur in more 

 exact figures than has yet been done to the mortality w hich, 

 during The earlier stage- of its growth, attends the progress 

 of the salmon. Assuming that a 25-lb. female fish of the 

 salmon kind will, in the course of the season, instinctively 

 deposit on the redds 20,000 ova, it becomes »f great interest 



to know how many of these will hatch and yield young sal 

 mon, and how many of these young salmon'will live to mul- 

 tiply and replenish their kind." Of one hundred eggi depos 

 ited under the natural conditions of spawning, it may, wc 

 think, be assumed that not more lhan thirteen will yield fish. 

 The following figure- may be accepted as being representa- 

 tive of the position. Thev are not, tire reader may rest as- 

 sured, takeu at haphazard, but after much inquiry and 

 thoughtful consideration of all the circumstances which at- 

 tend natural spawning. 



The eggs being voided by the female salmon in running 

 water, a large percentage in consequence escape being fertil- 

 ized by the milt of the male lish, which is tdso, ol course. 

 discharged in the running stream. The number of eggs in 

 each hundred which escape fertilization maybe Btateo rf, 

 say 52. 



"Of the fertilized ova. a large percentage is devoured bv 

 enemies of all kinds loug before il has time to hatch: the 

 number may be put at 15, Again, some t::!^ prove barren, 

 others produce monstrosities, while a grcal oumbei are 

 washed into places where they Cannot hatch, the heavy 

 floods of the winter season so often break up the redds, on 

 which the eggs have been deposited. Under this head, then, 

 it will be a fair calculation to put down 30 eggs, making 87 

 in all, and leaving only 16 in each hundred to become in due 

 time table-fish and breeders of the future. 



It would be quite possible to present even a darker picture 

 than this of the destruction of salmon ova. A common 

 trout, for instance, has been captured with as many as ?Q0 

 Balrton eggs in it- gullet. While the keeper of the ponds at 

 Stormontlield one morning shot "a long legged heron" — 

 when it was dying the bird vomited fifty of the young 

 salmon which il had been feeding upon. The perils of the 

 parr have been thus related by Mr. Bui 



'•Wjnen the young lish come to life and burst the shell, 

 they lie in a helpless state for five or six weeks, during 

 which walei -beetles, shrimps and other insects prey upon 

 them unceasingly- After they gel into a swimming state, 

 they are. devoured by fish of all kinds, and also by sea-gulls 

 and other birds. In the nejti stage, as fiuelively parrs, they 

 are exposed to the ravages of pike, trout, eels, and even 

 salmon" themselves. From the stomach of a yellow trout I 

 have seen not fewer than ten full-grown parr cut out— the 

 specimens may be seen in the Perth Museum; and we have 

 cut parrs out of the stomachs of every one in a shoal of 

 from forty to fifty pike, captured in the" act of devouring 

 them," 



Taking note of the 130 fish per thousand, which are all 

 that come to life out of thai number of salmon eggs, it will 

 be seen anon how they are disposed of; and the perils to 

 Which tbey are subjected from poachers will be recounted. 

 But to the list of the more common evils which hinder the 

 growth, of our salmon — many of them, no doubt, the result 

 of the varied "pollutions" which are permitted to flow into 

 our rivers— fails to be added a new horror. We are allud- 

 ing to the. outbreak of HiproktfiiiitfewB— adisease or growth 

 of a fungoid kind, which in a brief period has 

 played such havoc in the waters of the classic 

 Tweed, as to have resulted in the destruction 

 of over 14,000 fine fish of all sizes in the course of a i 

 Such a number of deaths in so short* period must prove 

 an important factor in all estimates of fish growth, as so 

 large a percentage of mortality must tend, for -mi 

 to come, to lower the average "weight of fcheTweed Ssh and 

 also to decrease the value of Tweed salmon both for table 

 use and breeding. No solution of this new problem ol 

 sttlmon life has been yet arrived at, and in consequence no 

 Cure has been devised. A Royal Commission, which trav- 

 eled the country to inquire into the cause of the outbreak, 

 was unable to do more than take evidence — the Gommis- 

 siouers not being able to arrive at any definite con 

 as to a cause, far less to formulate a remedy. It has been 

 actively asserted during the prevalence of the epidemic, 

 that it "is a result of the chemical manures which we washed 

 off the adjacent lauds in times of flood ; but it must not be 

 forgotten that a similar disease is said to have been known 

 sixty years ago, when farmers did not use chemical manures, 

 so that there could be no wash of the kind alluded to. 

 There are some writers on the subject who believe the 

 disease to result from the over-stocking of the water. But 

 in the days when the Twee! ymlm ,j ,,,.-...,■ 200, 000 fish iu the 

 course of the season, there was no disease— at any rate the 

 disease did not then become epidemic; yet now, "when the 

 Tweed is perhaps not yielding a fourth" of that number of 

 marketable salmon, and is at any rate presumably not half 

 so populous with fish as it once was, the disease ' has been 

 much worse in that river than in any other salmon stream- 

 more than half of the big fish in the Tweed having died 

 this season (1881-82) from being attacked by tie ' m 

 fungoid growth. In some of the other salmon rivers of 

 Scotland the disease has also proved most fatal. 



That a considerable annual mortality exists at all times 

 among the adult fish of all salmon streams we know, although 

 the exact extent of it is seldom proclaimed, As a matter of 

 fact, the salmon, from its cradle to its grave, is pursued 

 with the greatest industry by a perfect horde of relentless 

 enemies. But when ait is said and done that can be said and 

 done, and all the pros and com of the salmon disease have 

 been well discussed, it will probably be found that the 

 severity of the attack is due to the impure eonditiou of the 

 watcr,"or, at all events, is aggravated thereby. There is, we 

 think, evidence that this is so— from the fact that the out- 

 break of saprokgnia has been most destructive iu those 

 waters which arc most subject to pollution. In the river 

 Tav the mortality from fungoid growth has only reached 

 3,000 fish— plenty, of course: but, considering the relative 

 magnitude of the streams, far less than in the Tweed. 

 Manv opinions have been offered as to the cause aud spread 

 of this fungoid growth, Out no two persons are agreed upon 

 the matter, ln'the columns of our local newspapers, < or - 

 respondents have fought no end of battles about this dire 

 evil; but it would serve no cood purpose to dissect the. 

 numerous theories which have been -tat ted on tin suhjoci 

 As a step towards a remedy, le) u- first of all have the purest 

 of pure water, instead of water thick stirabout, with 



"matter in the wrong place." When salmon find themselves 

 in a clean, clear-flowing stream, disease of all kinds will 

 assuredly disappear, or at all events greatly abate in its in- 

 tensity, in the meantime, it is hard that the fishery pro- 

 prietors ol Ihe riyer Tweed should have been made to lose, 

 in all probability, about a third of their capital stock- ol ii-h 

 from this loathsome disease. 



[TO BE CONCLI tlED.J 



Two quail hunters in California recently discovered a vein 

 of coal which is said to equal the best Pennsylvania .unthra- 

 eite. 



