88 THE HABITS OF THE SALMON. 



England afford valuable evidence touching the ir- 

 regular habits of grilse. With the exception of 

 the Hampshire Avon, the Test, the Itchen, and 

 one or two others flowing into the sea on the 

 Hampshire and Dorsetshire coasts, the rivers in 

 the south-west district are comparatively late 

 rivers. It is generally understood that, in spring 

 and summer, only a few fish frequent those waters, 

 whilst in some of them grilse are totally unknown, 

 and salmon do not appear until late in the autumn. 

 Peal, as they are termed, run up in considerable 

 numbers in summer, but they are different from 

 grilse ; " Peal " being merely a local name for sea 

 trout or sewin in those counties. The Hampshire 

 Avon is a fine large river, into which grilse never 

 are found to run ; nor do they appear in the Itchen 

 or Test. I understand from a gentleman living 

 on the banks of the Avon that it has long been 

 a matter of wonder to him and others that grilse 

 are unknown in this and other Dorsetshire rivers ; 

 but he said that by the middle of June the streams 



