SALMON. 
185 
in many places, that all bear these signs ■will assuredly 
at last become Salmon, or some other of the larger species of 
this family. 
We leave the consideration of this question until we come to 
U-eat of another species of the same tribe; but in the true 
almon ^ these bands are usually in no long time superseded by 
a dilfusion over the surface of a brilliant silvery tinge, which 
appears to reside in a new order of scales; and when this takes 
place a new instinct is manifested, under which fresh water 
becomes irksome, and even injurious, and these little fishes hasten 
down to the yet untried waters of the sea; and yet, even at 
this time there appear to be some materials which are necessary, 
but not always provided. They loiter in considerable numbers 
in the pools of rivers where with eagerness for food multitudes 
are caught by anglers who fish for them with a worm or fly, 
until at last a welcome fall of rain removes the difficulty; so 
that where of an evening they have been caught fi’eely, on the 
following morning, in May, not one is henceforward to be found. 
It has been noticed that while thus passing downward in fresh 
■water, these young fish prefer to keep near the border; but on 
coming into the salt they pass into the deeper part, and soon 
after they disappear from human sight, and go we know not 
whither. Such as we have here represented has been generally 
understood to be the natural course of proceeding of the young 
of the Salmon, from the time of their quitting the egg to their 
passage into the sea; and such may safely be pronounced the 
ordinary case in the south and western portion of our island; 
for none in any stage of growth of the true Salmon can be 
recognised in the rivers of Cornwall and Devon during the 
summer, except perhaps that in the Tamar a few examples of 
full size may appear at that season. 
But since the practice has been adopted of breeding the 
young Salmon in ponds prepared for the purpose, it has been 
observed that while a portion of the young fish have passed 
through the changes we have described in the course of a single 
season of spring, there are others which have undergone them 
so slowly as to havm remained in what is termed the Parr state 
or a whole year, or even for two or three before they have 
attained that condition which prompts them to migrate to the 
sea, and even further than this, that in their diminutive, although 
