THE GRAYLING. 308 



found in Scotland, but Switzerland, Lapland, Norway, and the Orkneys 

 all possess him. Wales does not, neither does Ireland. 



The food of the grayling is almost purely the ephemerae. Ronalds says, 

 and so do other authorities, that it seldom takes the minnow, and my 

 experience corroborates this. It loves worms, however, and a gilt-tail or 

 cock-spur, next to the grasshopper, is perhaps his most perfect ideal of 

 a toothsome morsel. The fly, however, is the proper food of the grayling, 

 although a quaint writer (Franks) remarks : " Yet for this fly-admirer 

 there is another bait the munket or sea-green grub, generated amongst 

 owlder trees, also issues from willows, sallows, &c." I have taken 

 several caddis-worm cases, with the attached shells and stones, from a 

 grayling's stomach on more than one occasion. Gentles are also welcomed 

 by them. It also largely obtains food from the mud and gravel, and not 

 unusually takes into its stomach large quantities of both. Yarrell refers 

 to some grains of gold, which were probably present in such soil, being 

 taken from a grayling's stomach, and remarks that it has been connected 

 with the colour the fish sometimes presents an inclination to golden. 



The habits of these fish are somewhat different from those of the trout. 

 They are more gregarious and less shy than their "lusty" friends. Also 

 they never evince that steeplechasing desire peculiar to trout in the 

 spawning season. In fact, instead of trying to leap whatever obstacle 

 may be in the way of an ascent to the higher parts of the river, they 

 prefer "swimming with the stream," and therefore drop from pool to 

 pool at this season until a suitable spot at the tail of a swift "shimper" 

 is reached, where the roe is deposited in the gravel. This piece of family 

 duty is accomplished in April, or, at the latest, May. Hence grayling 

 are generally in best condition from October to February. They do not 

 breed until three years of age, when they have, technically, attained the 

 majority of graylinghood, being at first a pink, next a shut, shett, or 

 shot, and finally Salmo fhymallus, in all the importance of his " thymy " 

 odour and iridescent complexion. 



The term thymallus, as applied to this fish, is from a fancied or real 

 smell of thyme which the grayling was said to emit on being drawn from 

 the water. Walton conjectures that this odour is derived from the fish 

 feeding on water-thyme. This idea, however, is erroneous, for, as far as 

 I could ever find, grayling consume no vegetable at all, being thus in 

 keeping with their near relatives, the salmon and trout. Mr. Manley 

 has suggested that the odour perceptibly emanating from a well-con- 

 ditioned grayling is like that of cucumber this is certainly not due 

 to their eating cucumbers, is it, Mr. Manley ? Except in a very few 

 instances, I have detected no "thymy" odour, and my opinion of the 

 smell of a fresh grayling generally is that it is of fish, fishy, and as such 



