39(5 



SALMON. 



ever, in many of the species, puzzles which nobody 

 can explain ; and we have not room for the explana- 

 tion, even if we could give it. The species that we 

 have shortly described are the only migrant salmon 

 whose history is well made out, and they are also 

 the only ones which are of interest to the English 

 reader. 



On some parts of the continent there are said to 

 be salmon which are cut off from all connexion with 

 the sea, as, for instance, in the Rhine and its branches 

 above the great fall of Schaffhausen, and also in 

 some parts of Scandinavia, where there are cataracts 

 near the sea. Analogy would lead us to suppose 

 that there should be something analogous in the 

 American lakes, and the streams which fall into them 

 above the fall of Niagara ; but these are subjects the 

 investigation of which is difficult. It is no violence 

 to the analogies, however, to suppose that the migrant 

 species could live wholly either in fresh water or in 

 salt. 



COMMON TROUT (S. fario). This is the most 

 common, the best known, the most varied, and, in 

 some of its varieties, the most beautiful of all the 

 species ; and we may add, that in the pleasure which 

 its capture affords, and the quality of its flesh, it is 

 far from being the least valuable. It is also a fish of 

 the most pleasing manners, if the epithet can be 

 applied to a finned inhabitant of the water. It is a 

 very handsomely formed creature ; its motions are 

 lively and graceful ; its disposition is energetic and 

 brave ; there is more speculation in its eye than in 

 that of most fishes ; it is susceptible of education, 

 and evinces (an animal) feeling for kindness done. 

 To see it in the water, one would conclude that it is 

 the most timid creature in existence ; and it betakes 

 itself so quickly to its hiding-place, upon being seen, 

 or rather, upon seeing any one approach, that one 

 would not fancy that it could " hurt a fly ;" but, for 

 all this apparent gentleness, the pike itself is not 

 more voracious. It is true that the trout does not 

 stand accused of preying upon "geese and swans," 

 as is sometimes alleged of the pike ; but the trout is 

 the more clever fish in the water, and also the more 

 courageous ; and instances are mentioned in which 

 the pike has been beaten off the ground by the trout. 

 The trout is one of the best weather-wisers that 

 inhabit the streams, and shifts its ground with very 

 slight changes of light or heat. It does bask some- 

 times when in a state of repose, but never in very 

 shallow water. Nothing can surpass the quickness 

 of its eye, or the sensibility of its muscular feeling, 

 or that general sense of the body which seems to 

 detect the very slightest change, or even agitation, of 

 the water. A shadow thrown on the water, the 

 tread of one passing along the bank, many things 

 which a man would not notice unless he were 

 actually looking out for them, are seen or felt by the 

 trout. This is one of the reasons why trout-fishin^ 

 is so favourite an exercise ; and, as skill rather than 

 strength is required in it, it is one which any person 

 may take. In consequence of this, there is seldom 

 any good trout-fishing near towns, as the waters, il 

 open, are poached by everybody, and, if preserved, 

 by the owner and his friends, so that but few are left, 

 and these few appear to get wary as their companions 

 are fished out. To give a very minute description ol 

 the common trout is unnecessary, and could not be 

 made general, as the fishes, from their great sensibi- 

 lity, vary with almost every stream, and every consi- 



derable difference of the soil through which the 

 stream runs. The following, however, is about the 

 average : the head shorter, and the nose more blunt, 

 than in the salmon, and the eyes larger and nearer 

 the point of the muzzle ; the dorsal fin with three 

 more rays than that of the bull trout, and all the 

 others the same ; the vertebrae only fifty-six in num- 

 ber ; the fins larger than in the bull-trout ; the teeth 

 in all the parts of the mouth where the Salmonidce 

 have them, and those on the vomer extending the 

 whole length of the bone. These characters are 

 pretty constant, only in old males the jaws lengthen, 

 and become curved. The colours vary much more ; 

 but the following are perhaps nearly the average in 

 fine pure water : the upper part rich yellowish brown, 

 clouded with darker spots of reddish brown, the 

 ground-colour fading into bright golden yellow on 

 the lower parts of the sides, and into delicate silvery 

 white on the belly, but without any metallic gloss ; 

 about a dozen of bright carmine red spots along the 

 lateral line, and a variable number of smaller ones, 

 of the same colour, above and below ; the soft fin on 

 the back margined with bright red ; the red appears 

 to be the nuptial bloom of the fish, and gets duller 

 at other times. In the younger ones, in very small 

 and clear streams, the colours are paler, there are 

 fewer of the reddish brown mottlings, and the red 

 spots on the sides are more conspicuous. In dark 

 waters, which contain peat or bog earth, the beauty 

 of the colours is in a great measure lost The back 

 is greyish black, the flanks lead-colour, and the belly 

 greyish white. The lateral spots on these are dull 

 and dusky, and in some instances almost black. In 

 the small ones, that are finely coloured, the flesh is 

 pure white ; and in the large ones it has a very 

 slight rosy tinge, irridexent if the flakes are separated 

 entire'. The dark ones have the flesh a little 

 greyish. 



The largest and fattest trout are found in the rich 

 places, but higher up the streams than salmon or the 

 sea trout are found in abundance or of good quality. 

 They prefer waters where streams and pools alter- 

 nate with each other ; and though they ascend to 

 spawn and descend again, they are not very discursive. 

 Of their size it is as difficult to speak with certainty 

 as of their colour ; and, indeed, the size of a fish 

 stated in any other way than as a rude average of 

 those of a particular locality, cannot be looked upon 

 as specific. The size of the trout depends a great 

 deal on the food which its pasture affords. As illus- 

 trative of this, we may quote a passage from Mr. 

 Stoddart's " Art of Angling in Scotland." " Fish," 

 says Mr. S., " were placed in three separate tanks, 

 one of which was supplied daily with worms (lum- 

 brici, we suppose), another with live minnows, and 

 a third with those small dark-coloured water-flies 

 which are found moving about on the surface, under 

 banks and sheltered places. The trout fed on worms 

 grew slowly, and had a lean appearance ; those 

 nourished on minnows, which, it was observed, they 

 darted at with much voracity, became much larger ; 

 while such as were fattened upon flies only, attained, 

 in a short time, prodigious dimensions, weighing 

 twice as much as both the others together, although 

 the quantity of food swallowed by them was in no- 

 wise great." 



In so far as finding the best fishing-ground is con- 

 cerned, there is a complete angler's guide in this 

 passage, short as it is ; and it also affords a means 



