FOOD-SUPPLIES AND RELEVANT MATTERS 105 



i.e. trout far above the average in as 

 eatable condition as the smaller ones. 



We believe this is accounted for by the 

 comparative ages of the trout: on the one 

 hand, the juvenile smaller trout or, so to 

 speak, the grilse of the trout which have 

 never spawned, and on the other the older 

 adult trout which have spawned, and which 

 take longer to recover from their winter kelted 

 condition of muscle. Indeed, it is more than 

 possible the young fish may not have severely 

 lost condition all winter. (See our remarks 

 under ' Comparison and History of Seasons,' 

 infra, p. 108). 



Also we find parallel conditions amongst 

 the young of the migratory Salmonidae, such 

 as the famed (or notorious ? !) finnocks of the 

 north-east of Scotland Ythan, Dee, Deveron, 

 Spey, Findhorn, etc. etc. or the unspawned 

 grilse of the sea- trout of March and April. 

 These descend the rivers of the east coast 

 about the same time that the run of elvers 

 takes place, and many of these young 

 sea-trout, which are caught in the estuaries, 

 are what may be termed ' weel-mended ' after 

 their gorge on the elvers. 



Early in March and in April, and even 



