AMKRIfAN T1{«»IT. 1 ? 7 



It is, tlu'irtorc. »|uitt' within the riinj^o of possihility, that in 

 tlu" hiri;*' purr inhiiul hikes, supplied by tlio limpid springs of 

 the mountains, the Brook Trout ot'Ameriea may attain a growth 

 analo{;ous to that of the well-fed and full-grown Trout f)f tlio 

 Thames, the Stour, and tlie Irish lakes; a growth which the 

 snndlncss of the streams which they do frocpiont, and their 

 iuexplicahle avoidance of the large and navigahh* rivers, prevt-ut 

 them from aecniiring elsewhere. 



I cannot say that I shall he at all surprised should it tuiMi 

 out, on investigation, that the Brook Trout {Salino Fontinaii.s), is 

 indeed occasionally taken up to the weight of twenty or twenty- 

 five pounds, especially in tlie waters of Hamilton Countv ; and 

 is now confounded, on account of its si/e, w ith tlie great worth- 

 less Lake Trout — wortliless, wliether as a (ish of game or a table 

 fish — of the same waters. 



The Brudk Tmut [troper of America is one ot' the most 

 beautiful creatures in form, colour, and motion, that can he 

 imagined. 



He is slenderly and gracefully formed, though ratlier deeper 

 in proportion t() his length than the Salmon, and far more so 

 than the Lake Trout. 



In a well-grown and well-fed fish; the length of the head to 

 the whole body is about as one to five ; and the length of tin* 

 whole body to the breadth, at the origin «»f the first dorsal tin, 

 as four and a half to one. A line drawn fronj the front teeth to 

 the jKistcrior etir\c of the gill-cover, which is nearly semicir- 

 cular, is nearly parallel to the lateral line, and will divide the 

 btxly into two nearly equal parts, the convexity of the back and 

 belly being also nearly e<iual. The centre of the <lorsal tin is as 



