372 APPENDIX. 



before the rains set in and the fish could ascend the rivers, many Sea- 

 Trout were caught in the salt water with sand-eel or small imitation 

 minnow at Loch Inyer, where they were scarcely ever known to have 

 been caught before in the sea. 



Common Trout Salmo fario, Linn. 



So many interesting varieties come under this heading that it would 

 occupy too much of our space to go into particulars of each. We give 

 the names of these below, and from the list it will be seen that Suther- 

 land possesses all, or nearly all, that are known. 



Scarcely a river in the east of Sutherland produces a Trout possess- 

 ing any edible qualities, probably from the generally stony nature of 

 the streams, and consequent lack of food ; but the lochs of the east 

 almost all contain good red -fleshed and firm trout. In the west, 

 amongst the limestone districts, the white-fleshed trout of the burns 

 are most delicious eating, and so also are the trout of many of the 

 lochs of Assynt, which are pink in flesh. The very dark red-fleshed 

 trout of Gorm lochs are flabby and "out of season" in June and July, 

 when ova is often found in them. We could say a great deal more in 

 detail, but space forbids in this place. 



Varieties of Trout (Salmo fario) are as follows : 



a. Great Lake Trout, Salmo ferox, Jard. and Selby. General in the larger 



and deeper lochs, and even found in the shallow Loch Borrolan. 



b. Parr-marked Trout, S. CornuKensis, Walb. Lochan Sgearach, Reay 



Forest : above a fall of some sixty feet. Specimens caught in June 

 1883 ran 3 to the pound and larger. Strong and active. Parr- 

 marks fade after death. 



c. Tidal Trout, S. estuarius, Knox. " Fossak " of Loch Inver. Ascends 



rivers only a limited distance, varying in different streams. Runs 

 2 to 5 Ibs. weight ; white-fleshed ; coarse, rich food, if in season. 

 Appears in May. Disappears in August. Strong. 



d. Gillarroo Trout, S. stomachicus, Giinth. Loch Mulach Corrie, on the 



top of the Assynt limestone and base of Ben More. Doubtful if this 

 is separable from the Irish examples. Flesh pale pink ; delicious 

 eating ; runs to 5 or 6 Ibs. (rare) weight. Strong and active. 

 Another trout, or the young of this, is also found here, averaging 3 

 inches in length, with somewhat peculiar coloration ; not apparently 

 abundant. May be young of the other, but have the appearance of 

 adult fish. 



e. Crassapuil Trout. Closely allied to S. levenensis, first described by 



Dr. F. Day, from examples forwarded by us from Durness. 



Other remarkable varieties occur, most of which we believe are 

 known to us, as well as varieties of Salmo salar, many of which inhabit 

 very inaccessible and rarely visited lochs. Upon this subject we will 

 have more to say at some future time. 



In the Dunrobin Museum is a series of stretched skins of Trout, 

 collected by the late Mr. Young of Invershin, which are called crosses 

 between Trout and Salmon, etc. 



This collection might have been extremely valuable from a scientific 

 point of view had the information been fuller and more carefully kept. 

 As it is, we fear the specimens are worthless, unless any of the late 

 Mr. Young's manuscripts are available and could be searched. 



American Brook Trout Salmo fontinalis, Agassiz(?). 

 Introduced some years ago by His Grace the Duke of Sutherland, most 

 of which were placed in Loch Brora, and a few in the Kintradwell burn ; 

 we doubt if many, or indeed any, of these are now left. 



The Charr Salmo alpinus, Linn. 

 Common in some of the lochs throughout the county, and probably 



