CHAR— AMERICAN, ITS HABITAT. 253 



Habitat. — The fresli waters of British North America, and contiguous portions 

 of the United States. It has, during the last twenty years, been acclimatized in 

 this country, and thrives in some of the places where it has been turned out, in 

 Scotland, England, or Wales. Although in Norfolk it has been stated to have 

 done well, and grown twice as quickly as the brook trout, this is denied, and 

 Mr. Southwell informed me (December 6th, 1886) " The remark that S. fontinalis 

 ' thrives well ' in Norfolk (among other places) is quite incorrect, of all those 

 which have been introduced I doubt whether any survive. A few lake trout 

 turn up now and then, but I don't believe they breed, and the only introduced 

 fish which has done any good is S. fario, already a native species, and even this 

 finds but few of our rivers suitable for its reproduction." At Howietoun it has 

 done fairly well, but does not often seem to live over its fifth year, being very 

 susceptible to atmospheric changes and needing deep water. In Mr. Andrews' 

 ponds, in Surrey, it is said to have done well, while in Bagshot Park it is likewise 

 stated to have thriven. But although there are many waters suitable to these 

 fish in the British Isles, there are more where it cannot be expected they could 

 thrive — quantity, depth, temperature, and purity having all to be considered 

 (see how char in Loch Leven have disappeared, p. 242 ante). 



As to the size the Salmo fontinalis attains, we are told that in the Bangely 

 Lake, in the U.S.A., Mr. Page, in 1867, took one 10 lb., but they seldom exceed 

 2 lb. or 3 lb., and a 5 lb. one is considered a monster. In August, 1886, Mr. P. 

 Grote took one at Meguntic, Me., which weighed 12^ lb. Brown-Goode, remark- 

 ing on these fish, observed that the Lake trout, S. naniaycush, sometimes attains 

 the weight of 120 lb., while the common char, S. fontinalis, even under similar 

 conditions, never exceeds 14 lb. or 15 lb. 



In one of Mr. Basset's ponds, at Tehidy, near Camborne, in Cornwall, Mr. 

 Cornish {Land and Water, May 1st, 1886) tells us that a 9j lb. one was captured 

 in April, 1886 ; also that with this species, " Mr. Basset stocked his ponds some 

 nine years since. This one was taken on a ground line, but the fish is said to show 

 excellent sport when taken on a trolling bait, and it is an exceedingly voracious 

 feeder. I apprehend, however, that its presence in a pond probably means the 

 extermination of all common trout in it." The Maclaine of Lochbuie has acclima- 

 tized this fish in a moor loch about 1000 feet above the sea, near Loch Uisk, in 

 Mull ; in 1884, one was captured 2i lb. in weight, and they are said to have 

 attained to 5 lb. 



The example figured Plate ix, fig. 1, is from a male specimen 9j inches long, 

 from the Howietoun stock ponds. 



certainly has with the flavour. But on the other hand, I fish every spring a lake that is up on 

 high land, fed entirely by springs, wliose outlet runs into Lake Umbagog, thus forming one of the 

 chains of the head waters of the Androscoggin, the trout of which are celebrated throughout the 

 State of Maine for their size, deep colour, and flavour. In this lake, up to five years ago, there 

 were no fish of any species except trout, and consequently they must have fed on flies, the larvie of 

 water insects, &c. It used to be poached through the ice in winter, when the only bait used was 

 live bait — i.e., minnows, shiners, dace, &c. ; and either from the ones that escaped, or from the 

 fact that after their day's fishing they put what live bait they had left into the pond, it now is 

 quite full of small fry." 



In the Bulletin of the United States Fish Commission, 1882, ii, p. 10, we are told that in 

 America the fontinalis "takes the first rank as a fish to be cultivated in ponds, provided the 

 ponds are fed by springs or cold running water. Ponds not possessing these quahties are unsuited 

 for them." 



