80 THE SALMON. 



that the difference between a grilse and a salmon cannot 

 be very easily described. But what interest has Mr. 

 Mackenzie in maintaining that there is no obvious or 

 reliable distinction in appearance between a salmon and 

 a grilse ? Maintaining, as he does, that the two fish are 

 different species, the more visible the distinction the 

 better for his argument, and the worse for our argument 

 that they are the same fish. It is more easy to dis- 

 tinguish one variety from another, as a setter from a 

 terrier, than the young from the old of the same variety, 

 as a young terrier from an old one. But Mr. Mackenzie 

 afterwards makes a half-admission that there are visible 

 differences. 



He says, " Fishermen affirm " (and he doesn't deny) 

 " that a grilse has a younger appearance than a salmon." 

 Well, that is quite enough for our purpose and far too 

 little for his. That is just about as much distinction as 

 there is between a lamb and a sheep, or between a grouse 

 or partridge of this season and its father or mother ; 

 and yet everybody who has any occasion for the know- 

 ledge, does know the young from the old of birds and 

 beasts, although, in very many cases, any attempt to 

 describe the difference, in the absence of specimens, 

 would be a complete failure. Mr. Mackenzie afterwards 

 adds, " The only distinction I could ever ascertain is 

 that the tail-fin of a grilse tapers off to a finer edge than 

 in the salmon." Well, that may be rather a fine dis- 

 tinction as between two species, but is broad enough for 

 the distinction between an adolescent and an adult fish 

 of the same variety, as between the maiden and the 

 mother. Then Mr. Mackenzie, as if aware that he had 



