38 HINTS ON ANGLING. 



which enjoys human attention, in order to fix our serious 

 consideration, and secure our lasting esteem. 



The trout, in disposing of its spawn, follows the 

 identical rules which govern the salmon in this important 

 process. He runs up rivers and torrents and brooks, in 

 the months of September and October, and seeks out the 

 most retired water flowing over gravelly bottoms for this 

 annual operation. Like the salmon, he leaps over formi- 

 dable obstacles in his progress, although he cannot cope, 

 in point of muscular agility, with the prince of the waters ; 

 still, in proportion to his size, the trout possesses quite as 

 much physical vigour and daring as the lordly salmon. The 

 leaps the trout will take when ascending the rivers in 

 autumn are really quite astonishing. If we examine even 

 the smallest rivulet or burn which runs into any good 

 trout-stream we shall find it full of small trout-fry, the 

 produce of the spawn which the parent fish had, under 

 the pressure of apparently insuperable difficulties, con- 

 trived to deposit. A trout of a pound weight, will often 

 clear a leap four feet high. 



The period of the year in which trout are in the finest 

 condition varies in different countries, and even in different 

 rivers of the same country. The seasons also exercise a 

 considerable influence. If the winter has been open and 

 mild, the trout will be in fine order much earlier than 

 if there had been long sharp frosts and heavy falls of 

 snow. We have, in some rivers, such as the Tweed and 

 Coquet, caught trout in tolerably good condition in the 

 months of February and March. In the months of June 

 and July they are generally supposed to arrive at their 

 highest degree of perfection in strength, richness and 

 flavour. 



The trout varies in size in different rivers and different 



