1 6 FRESH- WATER TROUT. 



Of all the senses trout possess, that of sight is 

 the most perfect, and is the one which most affects 

 the angler in pursuit of his vocation. Naturalists 

 say that the appearance and structure of the eye 

 do not lead to the conclusion that their sight is 

 very acute ; but the angler has every reason to 

 believe otherwise. They can detect the smallest 

 fly even in running water ; and at night, when it 

 is so dark that the angler cannot see his flies, or 

 even his rod, trout will see and seize a midge-fly, 

 which certainly argues the possession of extra- 

 ordinary powers of vision. Their eyes are situated 

 in the front of their head, and looking sideways, 

 so that they not only see in front, but also on 

 both sides of them, and even a little behind. 



The growth, size, and edible qualities of trout, 

 entirely depend upon the quality and quantity of 

 their food, and these, of course, depend upon the 

 nature of the water they inhabit. The largest 

 and finest trout are usually found in lochs ; these 

 yielding more and better food than rivers. The 

 redness in the flesh, which some trout have, 

 is entirely the result of feeding, and is a very 

 good index to their edible qualities. It is quite a 

 common occurrence to capture red and white- 

 fleshed trout in the same loch or river; the red- 

 fleshed ones being merely better fed specimens of 

 the same kind. 



Of rivers, those which flow slowly, and are 

 more like canals than rivers, always produce the 



