GRILSE 80 



which period they weigh from Pom t<> six pounds; 

 and those which Leave the salt for the fresh water 

 at the end of September, and during the month of 

 October, sometimes come up the rh er of the weigh! 

 of ten and eleven pounds, and even more. All 

 these fish arc known in the North by the name 

 of gilses, but by the London fishmongers arc 

 generally, I believe, called salmon peel. Some of 

 them are much Larger than small salmon ; hut by 

 the term gilse I mean young salmon that have only 

 been once to sea. They are easily distinguished 

 from salmon by their countenance and less plump 

 appearance, and particularly by the diminished size 

 of the part of the body next to the tail, which also 

 is more forked than that of the salmon. They re- 

 main in fresh water all the autumn and winter, 

 and spawn at the same time with the salmon, and in 

 the manner which I have already described. They 

 return also to sea in the spring with the salmon. 

 It seems worthy of remark, that salmon are often- 

 times smaller than moderate -sized gilse ; but 

 although such gilse have only been once to sea, yet 

 the period they have remained there must have 

 exceeded the two short visits made by the small 

 salmon, and hence their superiority of size. 



When these fish return to the river from their 

 second visit to the sea, they are called salmon, and 

 are greatly altered in their shape and appearance ; 

 the body is more full, and the tail less forked, and 

 their countenance assumes a different aspect. 



It has formerly been suggested that the gilse 

 was a separate species from the salmon ; but they 

 have been proved to be one and the same by very 



