SALMON. 
857 
silvery colour prevailed on the sides of the body, while 
in the other, where their diet consisted of crushed 
scallops ( Pecten ), the ground-colour was orange, not 
unlike that of an Oring from Bohuslan figured by v. 
Wright (Plate XL, fig. 3). One of fhese Trout varie- 
ties, the darkest and most thickly covered with black 
spots, sometimes spotted with black even on the pale 
ventral side, but often — where it has attained a suffi- 
cient size — without red spots, has been named by 
Jardine Salmo ferox. The same variety is commonly 
the largest fresh-water Trout in Scandinavia, and the 
males are furnished during the spawning-season with 
a hook almost as large as in old males of the true 
Salmon. 
The Salmon in all its stages of growth is a pre- 
datory fish of great voracity. Where it roves in the 
sea — as along the greater part of the west coast of 
Europe, in the White Sea, and in the Baltic — it lives 
on all kinds of animals, principally crustaceans (shrimps), 
Herrings (Baltic Herring) and Sand-Eels. To the last 
it seems to be especially partial, and in quest of them 
it resorts in large shoals to the sandy shallows off the 
coasts of Scania and Pomerania. In these Avaters a 
seine-fishery has been instituted, the seine being shot 
in the sea, we may almost say, at hazard, and drawn 
ashore frequently with a good haul of Salmon. This 
fishery is carried on during spring, in March, April, 
and May. Another fishery, based on the well-known 
voracity of the Salmon, is pursued, as mentioned above, 
with long-lines (Salmon-lines) in the south of the Bal- 
tic by Swedish, German, and Danish fishermen". During 
the roving excursions of the Salmon in the south of 
the Baltic at the season specified above, drift-nets are 
also used. As the spring advances, however, and the 
North Baltic with the Gulf of Bothnia becomes open, 
the marine Salmon begin their journey thither. They 
are taken here and there on the way with gill-nets 
and long-lines, at least up to the island-belt of Stock- 
holm. Farther north they come to the shore-traps 
(so-called stake-nets and mockor), to which have been 
added in recent times the so-called Finnish stor-ryssjor, 
where many of the Salmon making for the rivers meet 
their fate. In the rivers the marine Salmon eats hardly 
any food, at all events after it has been there some 
a See Benecke, Fische , Fischerei und Fischzuclit in Ost- 
Fisherier , l:sta haftet, p. 78, tab., fig. 18. 
b Thierleben, Grosse Ausg., Abth. Ill, Bd. II, p. 227 ; De 
time, though the eagerness with which it takes the 
fly-fisher’s bait in the lower courses of the Scandina- 
vian rivers, shows that it has not yet laid aside its 
voracity. Different are the habits of the River Trout 
and the large Salmon of the lakes. Hardly any other 
fish can lie said to be more voracious or a more greedy 
eater in proportion to its size. Breiim has described 
the life of the River Trout/'. “In quickness and dex- 
terity of movement,” he says, “hardly any river fish 
surpasses the Trout. It is probably to be included 
among the fishes that are nocturnal in their habits; 
all observations indicate, at least, that the Trout does 
not display its full activity until evening, and prefers 
to perform its principal task, the procuring of food, 
by night. In the daytime they mostly take shelter 
under projecting stones in the bank or in any hollow 
or cranny of the rocks to be found in the water which 
they inhabit. But when everything around them is 
perfectly still, they move about in the open even by 
day, always with the head pointing up the stream. 
Here they either remain apparently motionless at the 
same spot for a quarter of an hour or more, though 
their fins really move with sufficient rapidity to coun- 
teract the current, or dart like arrows through the 
water, following the main channel with surprising 
adroitness, and in this manner finding their way along 
shallow brooks, where you would think it impossible 
for them to advance. When disturbed, they retreat, 
if possible, to some hiding-place, for they are among 
the most, timid and cautious of all fishes. Streams 
with a swift current they descend by two different 
devices, either by turning their heads up the river and 
letting themselves slowly drift with the stream, or by 
summoning up all their powers and shooting so rapidly 
through the wafer as far to exceed the rate of the 
current. While the Trout is at rest; it carefully sur- 
veys its preserves, the water beside and before it and 
the surface or the air over its head. If an insect, 
whether great or small, approaches the post occupied 
by the Trout, it keeps anxious watch until the insect 
has come within reach, and then, with a powerful 
blow or two of the caudal fin, rushes upon its victim, 
or leaps out of the water to secure its prey. While 
the Trout is young, it feeds mostly on insects, worms, 
Westpreussen , p. 401, and Lundberg, Meddelanden rorande Sveriges 
lodiga ryggradsdjurens lif (Sw. transl. 2nd ed.), p. 358. 
