8 THE TROUT 



waters they inhabit flows over, and the food upon which they sub- 

 sist. In the smaller rivulets, particularly those which possess a 

 clean gravelly bottom, and a clear sharp run, the trout are gene- 

 rally found to come in season earlier than in the larger streams in 

 the same neighbourhood, or into which they empt themselves. 

 This I have found particularly the case in the river Tamar; in every 

 one of whose tributaries the fish come into season much earlier 

 than in the main river, and in some of these much earlier than in 

 others. The smaller fish also begin to improve much sooner than 

 the larger ones, and the bigger they are the longer they are get- 

 ting into season, whilst some of the former may be found in toler- 

 able condition at all seasons of the year. On one occasion, shortly 

 before Christmas, being desirous of trying the effect of some pre- 

 served salmon spawn I had prepared, I went to a small clear brook, 

 and soon succeeded in catching several small trout, some half a 

 dozen, of which averaging about a quarter of a pound each, to 

 my surprise both in colour and form appeared in admirable order, 

 and so they proved to be, for I had them dressed on the following 

 day, and I never tasted fish of their size of better flavour. These 

 were all barren fish that had evidently left the main stream and 

 followed the more fruitful up this little rill for the purpose of feed- 

 ing on their spawn ; and to their obtaining a plentiful supply of 

 this kind of food I attributed their unusual high condition. All 

 the unseasonable fish I took at that time I again recommitted to 

 the stream. Every one of the latter, from their appearance, had 

 it seems already shed their spawn, but yet from the avidity with 

 which they seized upon that of the salmon, however they might 

 have respected their own individual deposits, I have great doubt if 

 they would have shown as much respect to those of their neigh- 

 bours, and doubtless much trout spawn perishes by this means, 

 In fact trout spawn, when preserved in the same manner, seems 

 to be taken quite as freely as that of the salmon, though it is 

 almost needless to say that this is a process no sportsman could 

 ever wish the spawn of the trout to be submitted to. As a general 

 rule it may be laid down, that trout are in the best season from 

 May to September, though the precise time that each individual 

 fish may chance to come in season must depend upon a great 

 variety of causes, and scarcely two out of a dozen are usually met 

 with that are in equal condition with each other. The usual time 

 of spawning is from the latter end of October to the beginning of 



