62 SALMONIA. [SECOND DAT. 



The varieties of the common trout are almost infinite; 

 from the great lake trout, which weighs above 60 or 

 70 Ibs., to the trouts of the little mountain brook or 

 small mountain lake, or tarn, which is scarcely larger 

 than the finger. The smallest trout spawn nearly at 

 the same time with the larger ones, and their ova are 

 of the same size ; but in the large trout there are 

 tens of thousands, and in the small ones rarely as 

 many as forty, often from ten to forty. So that in 

 the physical constitution of these animals, their pro- 

 duction is diminished as their food is small in 

 quantity ; and it is remarkable that the ova of the 

 large and beautiful species which exist in certain 



species. And in accordance, both its roe and soft milt are found more 

 or less developed, so that the sexes can be easily distinguished. In 

 most instances the milt is more fully formed than the roe ; but there 

 are examples of the latter having been found of full size. Mr. Yarrell, 

 in his "Hist, of British Fishes," quotes one on the authority of 

 a trust-worthy observer, Dr. Heysham of Carlisle ; and he has in 

 his possession, preserved in spirits, a like specimen taken undoubtedly 

 from a parr, which he had the kindness to show me These circum- 

 stances and others lead to the inference that the young salmon, as 

 a parr, is capable of breeding, and does occasionally breed in some of 

 our rivers, so that the species can be continued ; and that a descent 

 to the sea and high feeding there are not absolutely essential to the 

 preservation of the species. Of those parrs which I have examined, 

 taken from streams in the lake districts, as many have been females as 

 males : the proportion in which the marks of the sex were not 

 distinguishable, was very small. For much valuable information on 

 this interesting subject, see the article " Salmonidse," in vol. ii., 1st 

 and 2nd editions, of Mr. YarrelPs excellent work on " British Fishes," 

 and Mr. Scrope's ** Days and Nights of Salmon Fishing." J. D.] 



