204 THE PRACTICAL FISHERMAN. 



In reference to the Bull trout I may add the following particulars : 

 Scales rather smaller, and consequently more numerous than in salmon of 

 an equal size ; colour, upper part of head and body bluish black, lighter 

 on sides, which are marked towards back with spots rather resembling 

 stars or, nearer still, the letter X. At spawning time the colours in the 

 male become head, olive brown ; body, reddish or orange brown ; in 

 females the latter is a blackish grey. The fin rays are thus given by 

 Pennell, to whom, indeed, I am indebted for most of the above particulars : 

 Fin rays Dorsal 11, pectoral 14, ventral 9, adipose 11, caudal 19. 



I have thus given the individual characteristics of the fish. 



The author of the " Modern Practical Angler," has classed this fish and 

 its near relative, the Salmo trutta, together, when speaking of fishing for 

 them. This is unquestionably a correct procedure, for the fish are caught 

 together indifferently. The bull trout is the " Coquet " trout, and on the 

 Tweed its presence is widely and acceptably known ; and the fly which 

 takes this fish will ordinarily take the other. I am disposed, therefore, to 

 descant first on the natural history of the S. eriox, and then to pass to the 

 S. trutta, to which my remarks anent fishing for both will be appended. 

 The name sewin obtains in Wales for this fish. 



Lord Home has given some distinctions in the habits of the fish whose 

 name heads this chapter, which are very valuable. He says : " The bull 

 trout has increased in numbers in the Tweed prodigiously within these 

 last forty years, and to that increase I attribute the decrease of salmon 

 trout or whitling for the whitling in the Tweed was the salmon trout, 

 not the young bull trouts which go by the name of trouts simply. The 

 bull trout takes the river at two seasons ; the first shoal come up about 

 the end of April or May. They are then small, weighing from 21b. to41b. 

 or 51b. The second, and by far the more numerous shoal, come late in 

 November. They then come up in thousands, and are not only in fine 

 condition, but of a much larger size, weighing from 61b. to 201b. The 

 bull trout is an inferior fish, and is exactly what is called at Dalkeith and 

 Edinburgh, ' Musselburg trout.' A clear bull trout in good condition is 

 scarcely ever known to take a fly or bait of any description. It is the 

 same in the Esk at Dalkeith. I believe I have killed as many indeed, 

 I may venture to say I have killed more salmon with the rod than any one 

 man ever did, and yet, put them all together, I am sure I have not killed 

 twenty clean bull trout. Of bull trout kelts thousands may be killed. 

 The shoal of bull trout, not taking the river till after the commencement 

 of close time, are, in a great measure, lost both to the proprietor and the 

 public." Probably this fish is better known in the Tweed than in any 

 other river. It is certainly not a common fish in this country. 



The usual weight of the bull trout is from 91b. to 141b., and it rarely 



