46 FISHES AND FISHING IN SUNAPEE LAKE. 



Regarding their breeding habits, Day continues: 



Trout commence breeding in their second year or prior to their attaining 24 months 

 of age, and often later in the season than their parents. The males are more forward 

 than the females, but at this early period of their lives the probabilities of the ova 

 being healthy and fertile are less than in somewhat older examples. At first the 

 number of males appears to be in excess of the females, but the mortality among them 

 is greater than those of the other sex, until at 3 or 4 years of age the proportion may 

 be expected to be about the same, and subsequently the females predominate. The 

 number of eggs produced by each female trout has been roughly estimated at 800 for 

 every pound's weight of fish, which computation has been observed at the Howietoun 

 breeding ponds to be fairly accm-ate. * * * 



The period at which these fish breed varies in different rivers and districts, extending 

 from October until February, and even, although rarely, to March. * * * 



Although trout generally migrate into the smaller contiguous brooks to breed, large 

 ones are more frequently found forming redds in the broader streams than are smaller 

 fish. But it is by no means rare to find large examples having taken possession of 

 pools in burns. 



A trout's redd or nest is a mound of gravel which would fill one or even two wheel- 

 barrows, and when by probably causing a shallow may assist in aerating the water. 

 The eggs themselves lie loose among the gravel at from 1 to 2 feet below the surface. 



From the foregomg account of the brown trout, it would not seem 

 to be a very desii'able acquisition in waters where the indigenous fish 

 fauna is wholly satisfactory. 



There seem to be no records of this fish having been introduced 

 as such into Sunapee waters, but as stated in the discussion of the 

 Loch Leven trout it is possible that so-called Loch Levens were 

 brown trout, and Day claimed that the Loch Leven is only a local 

 variation of the brown trout. A 14-pound fish which was supposed 

 to be and was recorded as a Loch Leven trout caught in 1910, but 

 which seems to be a brown trout, affords the only possible record 

 of this species from Sunapee Lake. This is referred to under the 

 account of Loch Leven trout in the following pages. 



Loch Leven Trout (Salmo levenensis) . 



This trout derives its name from the lake or loch in Scotland 

 known as Loch Leven. It was formerly supposed to be peculiar to 

 the loch, and the fish of the appearance, form, and coloration of the 

 trout described and named Salmo levenensis undoubtedly was peculiar 

 to the lake. It is stated, however, that fish reared from Loch Leven 

 trout eggs in some waters can not be distinguished from the brown 

 trout {Salmo fario) . 



Dr. Quackenbos states that he has fished in Loch Leven and that 

 both kinds of trout were caught there and they are of widely different 

 appearances. 



Fish have been reared from eggs supposed to be those of Loch 

 Leven trout sent from England to this country, but they could not 



