342 
Oil tlie Natural History of the Salmon, 
exhausted, quite changed in the colour, as if they had hung in a smoky chimney 
for some time ; others were very red in the skin, by having been in the fresh 
water for some time.” “ When they are in the fresh waters they turn as 
slippery as an eel;” p. 61. “ The salmon becomes unsound after it has been 
detained in fresh-water at any season ;” p. 79. Mr Little not only states, “ if 
he remains any length of time in a fresh river, he becomes worse,” but 
even limits the period to a week or ten days ; p. 126. This supposed dete- 
rioration in fresh Avater, Ave consider to be visionary^ and for this reason, — if it 
took place, how could the fish suffer under its influence for months, while ex- 
erting themselves in ascending to the spaAvning-ground, — while in the protract- 
ed act of spawning, — during their residence in the neighbourhood after par- 
turition, — and in their subsequent descent to the sea ? 
2. Salmrni remaining in fresh water have their gills covered and eaten hy worms, 
which fall off upon their return to the sea — Mr Johnstone declares, “ They get 
infested Avith Avorms or maggots in the gills if they remain long in the fresh 
Avater, which I think would kill them in the end, if they did not go back to 
the sea to get clear of these worms or maggots ;” p. 35. Mr Halliday says of 
fish in a bad condition, “ Some of those we took had their giUs almost eaten 
through Avith maggot worms, by being so long up the river ;” p. 61. Mr 
Little declares, “ I have seen their giUs entirely eaten off them by the worms in 
fresh Avater ; at least the thin and red parts entirely eat away,” («. e, all their 
organs of respiration !) “ I do not believe they are ever found in that state 
except in fresh water, and it is necessary for them to leave the fresh water to 
get clear of the vermin which fasten upon them while there p. 108. The 
Avorm referred to, is the I^erncea salmonea of Linnseus, the Entomoda salmonea of 
Lamarck. We still ask the question. If the fresh water be so very exhausting, 
and the attacks of the maggot so very troublesome and destructive, hcAv can the 
spaAvning fish survive during their residence for months in a river ? It is to 
be regretted that the season of the year, and the condition of the fish as to 
spawning, had not been determined, as, trusting to the declarations of expe- 
rienced river fishers, Ave consider that these worms only appear on the keltfish, 
or such as have spawned, and which are consequently on their return to the 
sea. 
3. Salmon are caught in the rivers and estuaries on their way out to sea — In 
proof of this, Mr Halliday states, “ I fished the Annan for many years ; and 
there is one pool in particular, namely the Sand Pool ; although Ave had fished 
this pool quite clean of fish before the rain came, yet, vi^henever the rain did 
come on, we then continued fishing constantly, until the Avater rose so high 
that we could not manage it, and AA^e got the salmon and grilses coming doAvn 
the river all the time into the pool. Some of those we took coming doAvn the 
Avater of Annan were Avhat we call Moffatmen, a term used for exhausted fish 
which had been at the head of the water ;” p. 61. But the fish may have 
come up the Avater to this pool ; or, if they came doAvn with the flood, they 
may have been kelts, — their gills were infested with maggots. This is the 
only proof in the report of the descent of salmon in rivers before spawning, 
and it refers to a length of course from the sea not exceeding a salmon day’s 
journey. The point in question can only 'be determined at salmon leaps. Do 
fish ever recross these before they have become kelts ? The proof in the es- 
tuary and sea is still more defective. Mr Johnstone declares “ the fish seldom 
