WKKIHT «"F Ti;i>l T. 117 



is taken, it is rtj^arili-ii as u monster, Jiiul is licnililed from one 

 end of tlu' country to the other, throu«;h the public press. 1 have 

 myself seen a Trout, taken in the winter throu;<h the ice, in 

 C)ranj,'C County, Xcw York, wliich lacked hut a few ounces of six 

 pounds. 1 know several instances, not evecedin;? half-a-dozen, 

 of tish varyin;; from tour to live pounds, taken, souu' on Lon^ 

 Islaml, s()me in tlie interior, within twelve or thirteen years, hut 

 1 have never heard it asserted that a lish of larger size has been 

 taken in Anu-riea. 



'rhtre i>.. I am aware, a tale tliat many years since a Trout of 

 eleven pounds was taken at Fireplace ; ami a rough sketch of 

 the tish is still to be seen on the wall of the tavern bar-room. 

 I know, however, tl»at this tish was considered at the tiini-. by 

 all the true sportsmen who saw it, to be a Salmon, and the 

 sketch is said to bear out that opinion, though I do not myself 

 understand how a mere outline, not tilled up, can convey anv 

 \«ry distinct idea of the species intended. 



Sutlice it, that it is not only not on record that any Tiout of 

 seven pounds or upward i»as l)een capturi'il on this continent, 

 hut that old tishernun will jisscrt positively, that they ncvei- 

 grow to be above five pounds in weight ; and \ciy coolly and 

 civilly imply to you that you are speaking falsely, when you tell 

 them that Trout from ten to twenty pounds are no great rarities 

 in Kngland, and that they are taken e\en of a much greater 

 weight. The faict, on this point, is, that Trout of ten or even 

 tiftccii pounds— I mean the common speckled Trout {Saimo 

 Fario), analogous to our Brook Trout — are more common in 

 some of the large riven* of ICngland, and large lakes of Ireland, 

 than fisli of four p<junds arc here. There probably rarely passe.s 



