I20 THE SEA-TROUT 



perfectly contrasted with the marine residence, while towards the 

 margin of the scale will be seen the closing in of the rings of growth 

 representing the beginning of what is termed the winter band. These 

 are the more apparent that the fish had ascended comparatively late in 

 the year, a fact which its considerable weight of i^ lb. helps to establish. 

 But just as some shoals of smolts descend earlier and later than the 

 main body in even normal seasons so some of the whitling return to 

 fresh water earlier and later than the main run. The run of the main 

 body itself varies in different localities. In the Solway rivers, such as 

 the Nith and Annan, it is a comparatively late run; in Loch Lomond 

 one expects the main run to occur by the second week of August; 

 and in the Tay, Mr. Malloch puts it as " about the end of June." As 

 he writes somewhat confusedly on this matter it is necessary to quote 

 what he says. " I am of opinion," he writes, " that the yellow-fins do 

 not go far to sea before returning as whitling about the end of June," 

 and then immediately after : — " The yellow-fins, then, which return 

 about the end of June, have only been three months in the sea." Now 

 what are we to understand by " yellow-fins " and what by " whitling " ? 

 I have taken pains in tracing the life-history of the sea-trout up to 

 the present point to use such nomenclature that no confusion need arise 

 in the reader's mind at any moment as to what stage in the life of the 

 fish is being dealt with. Mr. Malloch, too, refers to the confusion that 

 may be caused through the fish being known under different names at 

 the various stages of its existence, but I cannot commend his own 

 practice or the recommendations which he makes in the interests of 

 uniformity. " It would be a verv simple matter," he writes, " to call 

 them sea-trout, in the grilse stage whitling, and in the smolt stage 

 yellow-fin," and elsewhere he amplifies this thus : — "Salmo salar should 

 be called fry, parr, smolt, salmon ; foul salmon in the spawning season, 

 and kelt salmon after spawning. Salmo tnitta should be called fry, 

 parr, yellow-fin, sea-trout; and if a further distinction is wished, grilse 



