ii2 AN ANGLER'S RAMBLES 



arrives at this conclusion respecting the species of the different 

 genera : ' I may observe that in Scotland there are at least 

 four distinct species of trout, viz., ' I. ~Lst, The dark-spotted 

 lake-trout ; *2d, the red-spotted estuary-trout : they have pink- 

 coloured flesh, and are excellent to eat; 3df, the red-spotted 

 common river-trout, with pale flesh and tasteless ; kth, the pink- 

 coloured, red-spotted common river, chiefly found in England ; 

 5th' (he has discovered, it appears, three other species), ' the 

 parr trout, rather better, when fed in certain rivers, than the 

 common red-spotted trout, but never equal to the pink-coloured 

 fish ; Qth, the dark-spotted river-trout, of whose natural history 

 I know but little, although I believe such a trout exists ; and, 

 7th, the Salmoferox, or great lake-trout of the north. II. Of 

 the Salmo solar, or sea-trout' (the solar is no longer the fario], 

 1 the angler will meet with several species hitherto not well 

 determined. One ascends the rivers earlier than the other ; it 

 is the common sea-trout. The other takes to the fresh-water 

 streams at a later period of the year ; it is the so-called bull- 

 trout. Lastly, of doubtful fish, there is \st, the parr ; %d, a fish 

 with the external appearance of a salmon, but with a dentition 

 combining that of the common river and sea-trout or salmon ; 

 3^, a fish strongly resembling a salmon, and almost as good to 

 eat, which appears in the London markets early in October ; it 

 is marked all over with darkish spots, like some trout. This 

 fish, I have been told, comes from Scotland, but I have not met 

 with it there.' 



What are we to infer from all this, and a great deal more of 

 jumbled up and contradictory matter, emanating from the pen 

 of so distinguished an observer ? Does it help to render satisfac- 

 tory any system of classification adopted by naturalists, when we 

 find a master of comparative anatomy so high in repute passing 

 to such conclusions ? Surely, at least, some consistency and 



