VARIETIES OF SEA TROUT. 26 1 



and May, their first appearance at any distance from 

 salt water being immediately after an early spring 

 flood. These are for the most part young fish, rang- 

 ing from three to five, and occasionally six pounds. 

 The oldest and best fish ascend in great numbers in 

 November and December, ranging from six to twenty 

 pounds in weight. In some localities the term bull 

 trout is erroneously applied to the sea or white trout ; 

 nor is the error confined to the illiterate, some authors 

 of eminence having endorsed this inaccuracy. Mr. 

 Frank Buckland was convinced of the fallacy of this 

 when he penned the following : " It is supposed by 

 some that the sea trout and bull trout are identical. 

 I know the bull trout very well ; indeed, I could pick 

 him out amongst a thousand other salmonidae. I am 

 certain, therefore, that there is a difference between 

 the ordinary sea trout and bull trout." From our 

 own observations we are led to think that the bull 

 species are hybrids between the salmon and sea trout 

 (S. trutta). The external difference between the 

 salmon and bull trout is much less than between 

 salmon and sea trout, both in point of colour and 

 size, thirteen to fifteen pounds being the average 

 weight. The sea or salmon trout, upon the other 

 hand, seldom attain more than six or seven pounds 

 weight. They abound in nearly every beck and 

 burn, loch and river of Scotland and Ireland, and 

 are readily taken with the fly. We have already 

 adverted to their gameness : the bold dash, wild leap, 

 and game fight are more or less exemplified wherever 

 they may be found. The rivers most noted for these 



