EARLY BURN FISHING 43 



like the miniature roof of a house. Could anything 

 match more exactly the blue slates with which 

 our rapid streams abound ? " Were it not truer to 

 say, that the " new run " salmon wears the double 

 livery of the migrant, adapted to both spheres. The 

 glory soon departs, and he takes the muddier hues 

 of the fresh water. Sometimes he covers himself 

 with red, and black spots, like a gigantic trout. 



The marine forms of the shadowless sea are 

 silvery, with a darker shade on the back, and gener- 

 ally without slates. If river forms took to the 

 salt water, they would put off their spots as of 

 no further use. 



Examples of the brook-trout have been found, 

 on emigrating to the sea, as a rule to which there 

 are exceptions, to assume the brilliant silvery hues 

 of the migrating Salmonidse, as well as the cross- 

 shaped black spots. Mr. Harvie Brown remarked, 

 June 12, 1852, on having caught at Durness 

 several so-called sea-trout, from a sea pool or first 

 pool at the mouth of the river, fresh water at low 

 tide, salt, or brackish water at high tide. From 

 their silvery appearance, they are known as sea- 

 trout; but are the river form, acclimatised to 

 brackish water, or else periodically visiting the 

 same between tides. 



