The Descent of Man

and many so injure each other as to cause the
death of numbers, many being seen swimming
near the banks of the river in a state of exhaustion,
and apparently in a dying state." (6. The
'Field,' June 29, 1867. For Mr. Shaw's Statement,
see 'Edinburgh Review,' 1843. Another experienced
observer (Scrope's 'Days of Salmon Fishing,'
p. 60) remarks that like the stag, the male
would, if he could, keep all other males away.)
Mr. Buist informs me, that in June 1868, the
keeper of the Stormontfield breeding-ponds
visited the northern Tyne and found about 300
dead salmon, all of which with one exception
were males; and he was convinced that they
had lost their lives by fighting.
[Fig. 27. Head of male common salmon (Salmo
salar) during the breedingseason.
[This drawing, as well as all the others in the
present chapter, have been
executed by the well-known artist, Mr. G. Ford,