THE TROUT 71 



young of their own species. Day mentions a can- 

 nibal, weighing about i|- lbs., taken in the Tweed in 

 June 1882, which had eleven small Trout in its 

 stomach ; the larger fish are predaceous and as de- 

 structive as the Pike. On some rivers, when the 

 Mayflies are on the water, which is usually in the 

 early part of June, the Trout indulge in a gluttonous 

 orgy, gorging themselves with these insects. 



On most of our southern rivers the Trout are shy 

 and crafty, and the angler who wishes to entice them 

 into his creel has to put forward skill, patience, and 

 cunning to outmatch them. Any one used to such 

 fish would scarcely believe that in some waters the 

 Trout are as bold as a Perch, or as stupid as a Pike. 

 Yet in some of the Welsh mountain tarns the little 

 Trout are said to dash at anything which falls on 

 the water, so that they can be caught without any 

 bait on the hook, whilst in the Lake District, where 

 they grow to more than 3 feet long and attain a 

 weight of more than 30 lbs., these large fish have 

 been known to hold on to a bait and give play to 

 the angler without being hooked, and after letting 

 go, to again rush at the bait and seize it. 



The usual breeding-season for non-migratory 

 Trout is in October or November, when the 

 estuarine Trout run up into fresh water and the 

 lake fish either ascend the streams or seek gravelly 

 shallows near the shores, where they form redds 

 in much the same manner as the Salmon. The 

 youngest spawning-fish are about two and a half 

 years old, but it is probable that a number do not 

 breed for the first time until they are a year older ; 

 the rate of growth for the first two years is much 

 the same as for the Sea-trout in most localities, but 



