THE OTTER'S STONE POOL 299 



damsel of fine sensibilities and rather hostile to 

 sentiment. Her interests were purely practical. 

 She desired to be informed as to what was the 

 difference between a sea-trout and a young salmon. 

 How was she to distinguish ? In her basket, she 

 said, she had a fish about three pounds. It was 

 exactly like a salmon ; yet surely it was too small 

 to be one ? 



" What's his tail like ? " I asked, dropping from 

 poesy with a thud. 



"What has that to do with it?" Miss Winsome 

 asked. 



" The tail of a salmon is more forked than that of 

 a sea-trout of the same age.' 1 



"Ah," she said thoughtfully, as if trying to 

 remember, " I think the tail is rather straight. Is 

 there no other difference ? " 



" On the slanting lines from the dorsal fin to the 

 line along the middle of the side a sea-trout has 

 fourteen or fifteen scales, and a salmon has only 

 twelve. Do you see the birds ? 



" The woosel-cock, so black of hue, 



With orange-tawny bill, 

 The throstle with his note so true, 

 The wren with little quill." 



" Claret," said Miss Winsome, " is a dull drink 

 by itself. It needs something to stir it up. 

 Lemonade has been forgotten. Please pour some 

 champagne into my glass." 



I vowed that the wines would make an evil blend ; 



