Sea -Trout 



165 



tained from their scales as in a grilse, with this difference, that in the 

 whitling stage new rings are added during their stay in both salt and fresh 

 water. The number of rings will be found to be forty-nine, making 

 them the same age as the grilse, which have not yet returned from the sea. 

 I give also a few illustrations of the scales of sea-trout of different 

 sizes (Figs. 163, 164, 165). The sea-trout weighing about i^ Ibs., 



FIG. 165. 9 Ibs. Coquet, 25th July 1907. 



as I have already said, run up as far as the water will take them 

 and spawn about the beginning of October. They select gravel of a 

 non-shifting nature and very much finer than that which the salmon 

 selects. Their movement in spawning is very much quicker than that 

 of a salmon, and they take much less time to deposit their spawn, 

 this only occupying them from two to four days. After spawning they 

 become kelts, fall back into the pools, become very lean, and remain in 

 the pools for some time, until they recover from its effects. They 



