26 HISTORY OF THE SALMON. 



can be no doubt that the parr and trout, at all 

 events, are distinct species, though both, in their 

 younger stages, are similarly distinguished with 

 the blue marks on their sides, which are fancifully 

 likened to impressions of the fingers. It must 

 not be supposed that we presume to question Mr. 

 Shaw's opinion, which (except in point of time, as 

 before mentioned) is now universally received by 

 naturalists, and of the correctness of which we 

 have not the slightest doubt, but we may observe 

 that these seeming discrepancies may possibly 

 arise from a confusion of terms that Mr. Shaw's 

 parr and grilse may be different fish from what are 

 called the parr and peal of the western waters. If 

 this be so, the question arises whether at least one, 

 if not both, of these last-named fish have hitherto 

 been described by naturalists.* Of the two kinds 



* Since the above was written, we have enjoyed the 

 perusal of the Book of the Salmon, by Ephemera and 

 Andrew Young, in which those gentlemen question the 

 correctness of the term parr, as employed by Mr. Shaw. 

 They say, speaking of the growth of salmon-fry, " The 

 fish now [at between nine and ten months old] resembles 

 the little trout, called the parr ; but its fins are much 

 longer than those of that little fish, and its whole shape is 

 much less perfect. Not observing these marks of distinc- 

 tion has led to the confounding of salmon-fry with parr, 

 calling them, indeed, ' parr,* as Mr. Shaw and his followers 

 do ; whereas the parr is a distinct adult fish, of the river- 



