CHAPTER V. 



PARR AND SMOLTS. 



With the advent of the warmer weather of spring the shallower 

 waters of the streams become again peopled with the active fry, which, 

 it will be observed, by the beginning of April have now lived through 

 twelve months since ceasing to be alevins. They are in fact " year- 

 lings," and having survived the fry stage are beginning now, as 

 " sea-trout parr," their second year's residence in fresh water. How 

 long they may remain parr I will discuss immediately. 



These sea-trout parr are as active as ever the fry were in pursuit of 

 food and they are bottom feeders, mid-water feeders and surface 

 feeders indiscriminately as each particular kind of food is in evidence. 

 They are, like salmon parr, troublesome to the angler, for they take his 

 fly and worm with avidity and will even boldly attack an artificial 

 minnow. If they are thus noticeable in the river they are equally so in 

 a loch, for fishing with fly inshore on the feeding banks the angler will 

 raise and hook numbers of them. It is clear that these, as I noticed 

 happened in the case of some of the Loch Lomond streams, are fry 

 which have left the parent stream for the loch and, having occupied a 

 convenient feeding bank there, have not since changed their quarters. 

 Nor will they do so, I think, till they are disposed to descend to salt 

 water as smolts. 



In any case, whether in river or loch, the sea-trout parr grow apace, 

 outstripping in this respect the salmon parr of which at hatching, 

 however, it must be remembered they had fully a month's start in hfe. 

 When they go into winter quarters for the second time they will measure 

 from four to as much as eight inches in length according to the quantity 

 and quality of the food they have been able to obtain. There is a 

 marked difference, at any rate, in the general condition of the sea-trout 



91 



