ARTIFICIAL. PROPAGATION OF TROUT. 61 



than long, its distance from the base of the ventral equaling length 

 of the head. The anterior end of the base of the ventral is nearly 

 under the middle of the dorsal, the fin being as long as the postor- 

 bital j)art of the head. Pectoral equals length of head without the 

 snout. Adipose fin very small, its width one-half its length, which 

 is about equal to eye. The caudal when fully extended is square or 

 truncate ; in natural position it is somewhat emarginate. The outer 

 rays are about one-seventh of the total length of the fish including 

 the caudal. 



Upper parts brownish or greenish olive, or sometimes with a reddish 

 tinge ; sides silveiy with a varying number of X-shaped black spots, or 

 sometimes rounded brown spots or rounded black spots which may 

 be ocellatecl; occasionally red spots are seen on the sides, and the 

 adipose fin may have several bright orange spots, or it may show a 

 red edge and several dark spots ; sides of the head with round black 

 spots; dorsal and adiposed fins usually with numerous small brown 

 spots; tip of pectoral blackish; anal and caudal fins unspotted, but 

 the caudal sometimes has an orange margin and the anal a white 

 edge with black at its base; a similar edge may sometimes be ob- 

 served on the ventral. 



RANGE, SIZE, AND FOOD. 



The Loch Leven trout is a nonmigratory species, inhabiting Loch 

 Leven and other lakes of southern Scotland and the north of Eng- 

 land. Its range in Great Britain and on the continent of Europe 

 has been greatly extended by fish-cultural operations, and the fish 

 is now fairly well known in the United States, though mixed to some 

 extent with the brown trout, as remarked above. Examples weighing 

 18 pounds have been recorded, but the average weight at 6 years of 

 age is about 7 pounds, though some individuals of that age may reach 

 10 pounds. The natural food of this species includes fresh-water 

 mollusks (snails, Buccinum, etc.), crustaceans, worms, and small fish. 

 In captivity it is reared on liver, horse flesh, chopped clams, and 

 various other meats. 



As a food fish the Loch Leven is highly esteemed because of the red 

 color and delicate flavor of its flesh when obtained from suitable 

 waters. In some localities the flesh often becomes white from lack 

 of proper food or from other causes. 



The spawning season begins late in September or early in October 

 and continues until December. In Michigan it corresponds with that 

 of the brook trout. The egg varies from about one-fifth to one- 

 fourth of an inch in diameter. A trout weighing 2 pounds contained 

 1,994 eggs, the weight of which was one-half pound. 



The Loch Leven will take the artificial fly as readily as the brown 

 trout and the brook trout. Its great size and strength add to its 

 attractions for the angler. 



Smith and Kendall ^^ make the following comments on the Loch 

 Leven trout as it occurs in waters of Yellowstone National Park : 



1= Fishes of the Yellowstone National Park. Witli Description of the Park Waters and 

 Notes on Fishing. By Hugh M. Smith and William C. Kendall. Appendix III to Report of 

 U. S. Commissioner of Fisheries for 1921. Bureau of Fisheries Document 904, p. 22. 



