22 Wild Life in Wales 



proof of identity were wanting, it is to be found in the fact 

 that the flesh of these little silvery trout is often quite pink, 

 which that of a young salmon never is. In a fish of about 

 half a pound in weight, netted on the last day of September, 

 all the fins on the lower part of the body were almost black, 

 but this peculiarity might probably be due to the ground it 

 had been frequenting. In other larger fish, seen at different 

 times, the fins were sometimes very dark, though not black. 

 When newly caught, some of these lake trout, both large 

 and small, but naturally more pronounced in the former, 

 have a beautiful purplish-red bloom over the back, shading oft 

 on the sides to steely-blue or grey, often through more or 

 less of a suspicion of orange ; but these tints are very 

 evanescent. They are strongly reminiscent of the great 

 Lake Trout (Sa/mo ferox) of many of the Highland lochs, a 

 variety of S. fario, which it may be noted is said to inhabit 

 Llanberis and some of the other Llyns in the Snowdon 

 district, not more than five-and-twenty miles from Bala Lake, 

 as the crow flies. Whether or not they ought really to be 

 regarded as a form of S. ferox, or wherein the exact line of 

 demarcation between that fish and true " Brown Trout " lies, 

 need not here be discussed. I have never fished the 

 Snowdon lakes, or seen a fresh specimen of the Welsh 

 Salmo ferox from thence, but, judging by what I have seen 

 of the Bala Lake fish, I should be much inclined to doubt 

 whether any great differences can exist between them. 



In the rivers, trout fishing does not open until a fortnight 

 later than upon the lake, and so far as sport in the streams 

 above Bala is concerned, it might very well be deferred a 

 little later. Even well into March, I frequently put back 

 lanky trout of about a foot in length, but, of course, " the 

 larger the fish the longer it will be in getting into prime 

 condition in small streams " is a rule that does not apply 

 exclusively to Wales. Here, as elsewhere, it is wonderful 

 to note how feeding tells. Baskets-full of refuse are almost 

 daily thrown into the Twrch, from the Goat Hotel, just 

 below the station, and amongst the large boulders in the 

 stream beneath the foot-bridge there, trout in good condition 

 can nearly always be caught at any season, and amongst 



