204 GRILSE LARGER THAN SALMON. 



limited to space and wholesome fresh-water diet, 

 has its air passages and muscular tissues unclogged 

 by obesity ; and, therefore, when compelled to make 

 abnormal exertions, as it does when hooked by the 

 fly-fisher, it evinces greater power of endurance, 

 or " bottom," as it is termed. 



In some rare instances, a grilse, that is, a sal- 

 mon in its second year, which has been only once 

 to sea, has been known to weigh as much as 

 fourteen pounds ; whereas, a salmon, or fish in its 

 third year, or one that has been twice at sea, has 

 been known not to weigh more than six pounds. 

 This great disproportion in weight is chiefly 

 caused by difference in the duration of the time 

 each remains at sea ; to disparity in the amount 

 and quality of food, each finds there ; and, also, to 

 dissimilarity of race. The one, the grilse, being 

 probably the offspring of giant, the other of small 

 salmon of dwarfish stock. However, diflerence 

 in the duration of time is alone sufficient to pro- 

 duce inequality in weight. For instance, two 

 smolts from the same spawning-bed, or the pro- 

 duce of ova hatched in the same nest, shall go 

 down to the sea, and resort to the same feeding- 

 grounds. One shall tarry on them, say for two 

 months, and then return to its native stream ; the 

 gtay of the other on the feeding-grounds, before 



