THE COMMON TROUT. 25 



ing upwards of twenty-two pounds, is to be seen in 

 the collection of curiosities at Berlin. The trouts of the 

 Lake of Geneva have long been celebrated for their 

 vast size ; Walton remarks, " It is well known that 

 in the Lake Leman (the Lake of Geneva) there 

 are trouts taken of three cubits long ; and as is af- 

 firmed by Gesner, a writer of good credit ; and 

 Mercator says, the trouts that are taken in the Lake 

 of Geneva are a great part of the merchandize of 

 that famous city." We have ourselves often angled in, 

 and conversed with many of the old net fishers on 

 that magnificent piece of water ; and their testimony 

 in all respects confirmed the truth of his observations. 

 The largest are taken in the vicinity of Villeneuve, 

 the spot where the lake receives the Rhone of the 

 Valois. The flesh of many of these trouts is red 

 like that of the Charr, and they are thence termed 

 saumonees. Another sort, which they esteem be- 

 yond all others, are called gardonnteres, because fed 

 as they say on Gardens or Roach, which are fre- 

 quently found undigested in their stomachs. These 

 last are also salmon coloured ; they are larger and 

 thicker than the ordinary trouts, their scales be- 

 ing also lighter and more delicate in appearance. 



The flesh of this fish is in universally high repute 

 for the excellence of its flavour. It has been re- 

 marked that the trout is fat when other fish are thin, 

 and meagre on the contrary, when others are fat ; 

 so that in winter, the flesh is white and of a bad fla- 

 vour, but, in the summer, red and good. We may 

 add that this difference in colour does not entirely 



