NATURE BY THE WATERSIDE 243 



this applies equally to yearling salmon and trout. 

 Here is an instance of a species preying on itself. 1 

 A pair of trout were observed spawning on a 

 shallow ford, and another just below them de- 

 vouring the ova as fast as it was deposited by the 

 spawner. The thief was netted, and in its stomach 

 was found upwards of two ounces of ova, or about 

 300 eggs. Eels work up the gravel beds, and the 

 small river lamprey has been observed in the like 

 pursuit. Even water beetles and their larvae must, 

 on account of their numbers and voracity, come 

 within the reckoning ; and among the most de- 

 structive of these are the larvse of the dragon- and 

 May-flies and freshwater shrimp. Recently, in the 

 Coniston district, an instance occurred of the last- 

 named destroying numbers of trout-fry. 



The salmon deposits nearly a thousand eggs for 

 every pound of its live-weight ; and from the 

 quantity of spawn in most salmon rivers, it would 

 seem that nothing which man could do, save pollu- 

 tion, would have any appreciable influence upon 

 the increase of the species, and the fecundity of 

 trout is greater even than that of salmon. The 

 eggs of the latter are nearly as large as a garden 

 pea, those of big trout only slightly less. The 

 ova are of a delicate salmon colour, and the cell- 



1 An instance of a trout taking another trout which was 

 already hooked occurred in the district, and was recoided 

 in The Field at the time. Mr. William Atkinson was fishing 

 in one of our local rivers (the Lune) when he hooked a 2 oz. 

 trout. Whilst landing the fingerling it was seized by a 

 larger fish, both of which, by careful manipulation, were 

 landed. The bigger fish relinquished its hold immediately 

 it touched the landing-net but too late. It weighed 21 oz., 

 but was a poor fish for its size. In its stomach were the 

 half-digested remains of another troutlet. 



R 2 



