INTRODUCTORY 23 



April, 1890, the fish were again moved to another pond, and I spawned 

 some of the females in November of the same year, crossing the ova 

 with milt from S. levenensis and S. fontinalis. A few fry of the former 

 were hatched out and reared but were afterwards mixed with other fry. 

 " The remainder of the parent sea-trout were afterwards, I think, 

 turned out into a reservoir when about five years old. They never 

 attained to any great size." 



The facts relevant to the discussion may, I think, be stated thus : — 

 (i) That the parr of the original sea-trout lived in fresh-water 

 quarters for four years, namely, during 1887, 1888, i88g and i8go, 

 without apparent discomfort; 



(2) That in their third year neither an expert ichthyologist like Dr. 

 Day, nor a practical hatchery manager like Mr. Thomson, could 

 distinguish them from common trout ; 



(3) That in their fourth year the females developed ova capable of 

 being fertilised by male trout (5. levenensis) but not by male char (5. 

 fontinalis) ; 



(4) That the resulting " cross " breed was " mixed with other fry " 

 as apparently being to all intents and purposes ordinary trout fry ; and 



(5) That the parent true sea-trout brood lived on beyond 1890 in 

 a reservoir although they " never attained to any great size." 



In view of these facts, which I give thus fully because they have 

 an important bearing upon certain passages which will follow in my 

 life-history of the sea-trout, it would be difficult to dispute the proposi- 

 tion that " sea-trout, if prevented from going to the sea, will live and 

 breed in fresh water." 



I may add that I do not believe that Loch Leven trout are 

 descendants of " land-locked " sea-trout, and therefore a peculiar breed 

 of trout. In my view they are simply trout which enjoy a specially 

 favourable environment, and their origin need be in no way different 



