WHITLING 121 



could be called young salmon and whilling young sca-lroul." But 

 apart from the curious inversion which I have ventured to italicise, and 

 his confusion between " yellow-tin " and " whitling " noted above, it 

 will be observed that he gives no distinctive name to the sea-trout 

 earlier than " yellow-fin," so that he is driven to use such a cumbrous 

 phrase as " parr of the yellow-fin " to denote a " sea-trout parr." Not 

 only so, but " yellow-fin " seems to be a futile term, for he himself 

 says : — " although yellow-fin is the name applied to the smolt stage of 

 the sea-trout, it must not be understood all have yellow fins, for many 

 have their fins of quite as dark a colour as those of a salmon smolt." 



In my opinion the proper nomenclature for the sea-trout, from the 

 time of hatching, is : — " sea-trout alevin," until the umbilical sac is 

 absorbed; thereafter, " sea-trout fry," during the first year of residence 

 in fresh water; " sea-trout parr," during the second, or it may be third, 

 or even fourth year of residence in fresh water; and " sea-trout smolt," 

 when the silvery scales are actually assumed in descent to the sea. 

 " Whitling " conveniently identifies the fish on its earliest return to 

 fresh water, and " sea-trout " imports a fish that has reached maturity. 

 For the continued use of " yellow-fin " there is neither necessity nor 

 authority. 



The terms " fry," " parr," and " smolt " are used specifically in the 

 Salmon Acts, and as " whitling " was also so used at one time I would 

 retain that term in preference to " sea-trout grilse," or to such local 

 terms as " herling," used in the Solway district; " finnock " or 

 "phinock," used on Speyside ; and "black-neb," used at Loch Lomond. 

 For want of some precision in this matter long and acrimonious discus- 

 sion has persisted in many districts regarding the identity of the 

 sea-trout in its different stages, even after test decisions have been 

 pronounced in the law courts ; so the matter is more important than the 

 casual reader might think. 



The whitling of different localities vary in average size to a 



