THE GRA YUNG, AND BAIT-FISHING FOR. 4$$ 



One-year-old fish are locally termed * pinks ; ' at two years, 

 when they weigh about quarter pound, they become ' shett ' or 

 ' shut ' grayling ; and afterwards c grayling.' The ' pink ' grayling 

 have neither spots nor lateral lines observable. * Shett ' grayling 

 have spots, but no well-marked longitudinal lines as seen in the 

 full-grown fish. At three years old the grayling weighs about half 

 to three quarters of a pound in average waters, and is supposed 

 by some authors to continue growing at about the same rate, 

 viz. a quarter of a pound per annum, until reaching its maximum 

 weight, which may probably be considered under ordinary con- 

 ditions from four to five pounds. Other authorities, on the 

 contrary, say that after half a pound the grayling grows fast, 

 and that the next or fourth year he puts on another pound. A 

 grayling weighing half a pound spawns, but a ' shett ' grayling 

 does not. 



The ova are numerous, but considerably smaller than those 

 of the trout, being about the size of partridge shot, and when 

 seen in the rays of the sun, look very much the colour of the 

 opal. The body of the embryo fish becomes distinctly visible 

 in about nine days, and the egg itself hatches in fourteen or 

 fifteen days from the date of deposit, results obtained in the 

 case of the eggs of the trout, in about thirty-five and fifty days 

 respectively. The spawning time, as already observed, is in 

 April and the beginning of May, the fish getting into condition 

 in July, and reaching its prime in October and November, when 

 most of the other Salmonidce are going off. 



Besides flies, worms, caterpillars, and the like, the food of 

 the grayling consists of the larvae of dragon-flies, May flies, and 

 other ephemera, remains of the cases of the former and the 

 skins of all of them being frequently found in its stomach. 

 In the winter months the grayling will commonly rise at 

 the fly from about twelve o'clock until two, if there is any 

 sun. 



Into the question of flv-fishing I do not purpose to enter, 

 as it has been ably dealt with elsewhere in this volume by 

 Mr. II. R. Francis. I may, however, add a hint which I believe 



