SEA TROUT— FOOD. ^ 179 



of April and May, August and September, in this river, there is no fish which 

 will take with greater rapidity, or rise so boldly to a fly or minnow, and no fish, 

 at such times, shows more pluck or brilliant play. During these months the sea 

 trout is in the very pink of condition, being of greater size and strength at such 

 times than at others, which is mainly due to its feeding on various species of 

 insecta and such small fish as the sprat, sand-eel, etc. This shows that the trout 

 is very rapidly affected by the nature of its food. 



" The following is a list of stomach-contents, extracted from about 300 sea trout 

 during the last fishing season: — 1. Of Fish. — Clitpea sprattus (common sprat), 

 Ammodytes tohianus (.sand-eel), Leuciscus plioximis, Amjuilla (small fresh-water 

 eel), and, iu one in.stance, the skull of a codling. 2. Of Mollusca. — Limnea 

 staijnalis, small form of Mytilus (mussel), several small species of Nudtbranchiata. 



3. Of Crustacea. — Gammariis pulcx, Thysanoessa horealis, Talitrus locusta, 

 Amafhilla sahini, Palcemon serratus, Palcemon annulicornis, Grangon vulgaris, and 

 many Entomostraca, including Cyclops and Daphnia and several unnamed species. 



4. Of Insecta. — These are Innumerable, including Helobia nivalis and SpiJiieridium 

 quadrimaculatum {Goleopterous insects), spiders. 5. Of Annelida. — Sahellaria, 

 Nereis, Lumhricus terrestris and a small species of black leech. 6. Of Polyzoa. — 

 Gemellaria lorieata, with small shell-fish attached. 7. Of Hydrozoa. — Sertularia 

 ahietina, Sertularia operculata, both with small shell-fish attached. 



"It is an interesting fact that many of the above-named form pai-t of the diet 

 of the cod, herring and mackerel, as, for example, the sprat and sand-eel. Both 

 these species are abundant on the Aberdeenshu'e coast, and in summer are largely 

 n.sed as baits for other fish, during which time they come close in shore. In 

 August of this year cartloads of them were cast up on the sands at Don-mouth, 

 and immense shoals ascended daily with the tide and were greedily devoured l)y 

 the sea trout, the result being that anglers had a poor time of it, owing to the 

 fish being so well fed. In May and August I found the trout simply gorged with 

 both of these species. 



" Of the upper reaches of the i-iver the Limnea, a small univalve shell-fish, ia 

 a general favourite, especially where sandy material exists, and in April, May and 

 August the small black leech fonns a grand bill of fare. 



"The Oammarus piulex (fresh-water sandhopper) and Nereis (sandling worm) 

 occur as food throughout the whole fishing season. 



" To show the varied nature of their food, on April 13th of this year I had 

 seven sea trout caught with a small ' Professor,' in a swift flowing stream, 

 unaffected by the tide, and from one extracted the following contents : — Nino 

 Limnea, two red beetles, one black beetle, one spider, three sandhoppers and 

 several minute Crustacea." 



As food. — Very varioiTS opinions are held respecting the value of the sea trout 

 as food ; for while the sewin of Welsh rivers is of a very delicate and superior 

 flavour, the bull trout* of the Coquet seems to be condemned as worthless, and 

 large examples, as a general rule, are found to be coarse. Several subjects, 

 however, have to be considered, as (1) the locality from whence the fish was 

 captured : (2) its age and size : (3) whether it is clean or near the breeding 

 season : (4) and possibly the length of time it has been in fresh water.f 



* Lord Home observed that " the bull trout {Salmo tnitta) is an inferior fish and is exactly 

 what is called at Dalkeith and Edinburgh, Musselburgli Trout." Stoddart remarked that they 

 ascend in scanty numbers during the spring and summer season, but are then in excellent 

 condition. On the whole, however, they are a coarse tish " (p. 224). They are very voracious 

 when ascending to breed, and although outwardly they look good they are very inferior as food. 

 In the month of June I found them excellent in the Oykell in Sutherlandshire, also during 

 August and September iu Wales and along the south coast of Cornwall. Large quantities are 

 sent yearly from Scotland to London, and those from Perth, Dundee, Montrose, and Aberdeen 

 are most esteemed for their colour and flavour. 



f "South Devon," iu Land and IVater, June 14th, 1884, observed that above the Totness 

 weir " hitherto it was a very exceptional thing to take any other than white-fleshed trout: now, 

 however, that the dapping season has commenced, the larger fish in the deep water above 

 Totness weir have been taken in considerable numbers : similar sized fish were last year all white- 

 llcshcd trout, but now a large proportion ot them are pink. I consider this is caused by the fish 

 feeding in the tidal waters below Totness weir ou shrimps and other salt-water food, and they 



12 * 



