MILNER ON THE GRAYLING. 731 



sent specimens to Mr. Charles Hallock, of New York, who placed 

 them on exhibition at the restaurant of Mr. John Sutherland. Some 

 of these, Mr. Sutherland transmitted to Professor Agassiz, and tlie 

 receipt was acknowledged in a letter published in the New York 

 Times. Subsequently, at the request of Mr. Hallock, specimens were 

 sent, by Mr. Fitzhngh, to the National Museum at Washington, where 

 they were received on the 10th of February of 1873. 



Mr. Hallock makes reference in his book, the Fishing Tourist, and in 

 the tirst number of his paper,* to the habits of the fish. In subsequent 

 numbers, he published short notes from Mr.Fitzhugh,andin thepaper o^ 

 October 2 appeared a quite full account of its habits and localities from 

 notes received from Mr, Fitzhugh and other correspondents. Since that 

 time, the references to the species have been numerous in different 

 journals. 



In September, 1S73, while engaged in investigations on Lake Huron, I 

 made a trip with Mr. Fitzhugh to the Ausable River, for the purpose of 

 obtaining specimens of the grayling, a knowledge of its habits, and the 

 facilities for obtaining spawn in the proper season. 



The experience of the two days on the river proved them to be free, 

 strong biters, eagerly taking the fly, and with all the gaminess in re- 

 sisting the effort to take them from the water with a hook, that is the 

 special quality demanded by the anglers. They were decided to be quite 

 equal to the brook-trout on the table ; and for grace of form and beauty of 

 color on the body and the great dorsal fin that is the peculiar mark of 

 the genus, they surpassed all of the so-termed game-fishes. One hun- 

 dred and forty-three were taken with two rods in the portion of two 

 days occupied on the river. 



Like that of the brook trout, their natural food consists of the insects 

 tliat fall or light upon the surfVice of the stream. Their stomachs were 

 found to contain broken and [)artially-digested specimens of Coleoptera^ 

 Neuroptera, as well as the larvte of species of the dragon-flies. There were 

 also found in their stomachs the leaves of the white cedar, (T/wya occf- 

 dentalis,) which drop continually on the surface of the stream, and are 

 probably taken because the fish in their quick darts to the surface 

 mistake them for insects foiling upon the water. It is not at all probable 

 that they select them as food. 



The upper tributaries of the Muskegon and Manistee Rivers, the Board- 

 manRiver and the Jordan River, emptying through Pine Lake, all tribu- 

 tary to Lake Michigan, the Ausable, the Rifle, the Marquette, and the Au 

 Gr^s, all tributary to Lake Huron, are the streams in which the grayling 

 have thus far been found. The only character that these waters have, 

 differing from adjacent streams, is their exceeding coldness. Of the 

 Jordan and Ausable Rivers only, I can speak from personal observation; 

 but inquiry from those who have visited the portion of the other rivers 

 inhabited by the grayling elicited similar observation of temperature in 

 * Forest and Stream, August 14, 187^, p. 13. 



