206 LOCH CRERAN. 



water, and off all our small streams local shoals of small 

 sea-trout are to be found ; sea-trout that have bred in 

 these same streams. These shoals are quite distinct from 

 the quantities of large sea-trout, strongly marked occasion- 

 ally, and at other times with quite delicate markings, 

 that throng towards the larger rivers from the deeper sea, 

 in time to make havoc among the smolts and younger 

 salmon fry. It will one of these days become a grave 

 question whether sea-trout should not be confined to 

 these smaller streams, leaving the larger rivers to the 

 salmon, as we look upon the voracious sea-trout as a 

 great enemy to its nobler congener, and to attempt to 

 stock a river with both appears to us very like the con- 

 duct of the boy that wished both to eat his cake and keep 

 it. 



We have had occasion before to refer to the growth on 

 the shells of univalves (Hydractina echinata, is it not, my 

 friend ?) and one of these shells we were keeping by us 

 to watch the movements of the associated Polyzoae in the 

 water. A pretty little grove they appeared, and we were 

 wondering what the creature could assimilate, and 

 whether any but the lowest life would ever be brought 

 within their power. Into the dish we popped a beautiful 

 annelid, its many segments iridescent in the light, and 

 the creature itself moving like a railway train round a 

 curve. In its excitement it traversed the dish over and 

 over again, until at length in a thoughtless moment it ran 

 over the hydractina-covered shell. It had not gone far, 

 however, despite its activity of movement, until the end 

 of its tail got seized among the creatures, and after the 

 most desperate struggles and efforts to relieve itself it was 

 forced to sacrifice a portion of its extremity in order to 

 secure the safety of the remainder, only escaping with its 



