116 
THE CALIFORNIAN SALMON. 
remain about five to five and a half inches long, and some, 
even then, are not over three inches. At this stage a 
transformation takes place in the migratory species. The 
salmon parr puts on a coat of silvery scales, covering the 
parr-marks, which can still be seen on removing the scales, 
which are loosely attached, and come ofi* easily on handling 
the fish. 
This change takes place immediately before the fish 
begins its journey to the sea, and the fish is then called a 
smolt. It will then endeavour to leap over any obstacle 
that may be in the way, in its efibrts to get off to the sea, 
and will even leap out on dry land and perish, in its 
instinctive desire to reach the ocean. 
The smolts begin their journey at about twelve months 
old, or a little over that time ; but here a singular fact has 
been discovered. Only one-half of the salmon parrs 
assume the smolt dress, and migrate to the sea in the first 
season, the remaining half staying another year in the 
fresh water, and going down to the sea at about the same 
time of the succeeding year. It has been found that the 
early migrating fish are of pretty equal numbers of both 
sexes. The female parrs have never been found in fresh 
water with fully developed roe, but the male parr is 
sexually matured, and it is no unusual thing to see a male 
parr of six inches in length waiting to impregnate the ova, 
which are being deposited by a salmon of fifteen or twenty 
pounds weight. 
In England, the salmon smolts commence their descent 
early in May, about which time the young salmon of the 
succeeding year are bursting their shells. The parrs which 
remain in the river for a second year grow very little 
during that time, and do not assume the smolt dress until 
near the time for migrating to the sea, in the following 
spring. It is believed that the smolts which commence 
