Eventually they return to their natal rivers, attuned to magnetic fields and familiar smells, and power upstream. They cease to eat; their organs deteriorate. Some swim hundreds of miles inland and thousands of feet upslope, halting at last in high deserts fragrant with sage. With vigorous tail-sweeps, females excavate gravel nests and deposit sticky orange eggs. Males joust for primacy and contribute milt with spasmodic shivers. Mission accomplished, they die. Their carcasses nurture eagles, bears, otters, mice; the nitrogen and phosphorus inhered in their flesh nourish the insects that will
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