THE TROUT 59 



the Sea-trout do not enter fresh water until quite 

 late in the autumn. 



The breeding habits are very similar to those of 

 the Salmon ; the eggs hatch out in the spring and 

 the fry remain for a time among the gravel until the 

 yolk-sac is absorbed, when they commence active 

 feeding, and grow rapidly during the summer. 

 In April or May, when they are about 2^ years 

 old and from 4 to 8 inches long, they begin to 

 drop down towards the sea, but unlike the Salmon 

 smolts they are in no hurry to leave the estuaries, 

 and indeed may grow considerably larger before 

 doing so. Young Trout of 3 or 4 inches have 

 already been described and compared with Salmon 

 parr of the same size ; one of these is figured on 

 PI. VII, Fig. I, and we may now describe the 

 Sea-trout smolts. 



In coloration these are silvery, with the back 

 bluish or olivaceous ; there are a number of rounded 

 blackish spots above the lateral line, also below it 

 anteriorly and on the opercles ; red spots occur 

 chiefly on and below the lateral line ; the pectoral 

 and pelvic fins are orange, the dorsal greyish with 

 series of blackish spots, the caudal dusky with an 

 orange tint and with the upper and lower edges 

 red, the anal greyish with a white anterior edge 

 and a blackish intramarginal stripe, the adipose fin 

 edged with brilliant orange. A figure is given 

 (PI. VI, Fig. i) of a smolt of a Sea-trout from 

 Yorkshire, a male of y^ inches, taken in May on 

 its way to the sea. The maxillary nearly reaches 

 the vertical from the posterior edge of the eye, 

 and this should be especially noted in comparing 

 with the Salmon smolts, in which the maxillary 



