GRILSE STRONGER THAN SALMON. 203 



luxurious grass or clover-fields, and submitted to 

 dry-feeding. The dry-feeding of salmon are the 

 insects, and larvte, and small fish afforded to them 

 in rivers. The consequence of dry-feeding, good 

 food in small quantities, is the same on quadra- 

 peds and on fish. They severally become less 

 bulky, lose superflous adipose matter, which is re- 

 placed by increase of muscular fibre, and, there- 

 fore, though smaller in size, their strength, ac- 

 tivity, and power of endurance, are greater. This 

 will explain why the angler finds it frequently 

 more difficult to tire out a small fish than a larger 

 one. For myself, I have had over and over again an 

 easier task in capturing with rod and line a fresh- 

 run salmon, of fifteen pounds in weight, than a grilse 

 half the size, which has been a few weeks training, 

 as it were, on short but strengthening commons in 

 fresh water. At all times a grilse will be found 

 more powerful than a salmon of the same weight, 

 because the fins of grilse are larger in proportion 

 to the size of their bodies than the fins of salmon. 

 Grilse possess, consequently, easier and greater 

 powers of locomotion than salmon. I cannot help 

 fancying that the aldermanic salmon, when put 

 to its speed by the spur of the hook, soon gets 

 "blown," or, as a turfite would say, exhibits 

 symptoms of " distress," whilst its child or brother. 



