TYXE SPLASH NETS— GILLAROO TROUT. 321 



have gone most fully into this very important ques- 

 tion, and feel convinced that the time is not far distant 

 when serious steps must be taken to counteract the 

 great predominance of bull trout. This must be 

 done by lengthening the netting season, allowing 

 " splash nets" at the mouths of the rivers, especially of 

 the Tyne ; and by altering the mesh of nets at certain 

 seasons, all of which matters must be left to the con- 

 sideration of local Boards of Conservators, subject to 

 the a]3proval of the Home Office. 



The superabundance of bull trout in the Tweed is, 

 in my opinion, one of the great causes of the salmon 

 disease in that river. See Official Eeport on the 

 Salmon Disease, September, 1880. 



GILLAROO TROUT. 



[Salmo stoviatichus.) 



This trout is remarkable as having a stomach so thick 

 and firm that it has been by some called a gizzard. I 

 have some fine specimens of these stomachs taken from 

 Gillaroo trout, caught by my fiiend Mr. T. E. Sachs, in 

 Lough Derg, Ireland. 



The great anatomist, John Hunter, examined into 

 this curious form of stomach. He did not consider it a 

 true gizzard, but simply a thickened stomach, endued 

 with sufficient strength to break the shells upon which 

 it lives. It has no grinding powers like the gizzard of 

 a bird, say a chicken. This curious stomach of the 

 Gillaroo trout is most worthy of the attention on the 

 part of anatomists and physiologists, and it remains to 

 be seen by experiment whether or not the stomach of 

 the Gillaroo trout would or would not alter if the 

 character of the food was changed. 



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