44 SCIENCE SKETCHES. 



in its habits, depositing its ova in the neighbor- 

 hood of its usual haunts. The ova are said to be 

 far more delicate and easily killed than those of 

 the trout or charr. The grayling and the trout 

 often inhabit the same waters, but not altogether 

 in harmony. It is said that the grayling devour 

 the eggs of the trout. It is certain that the trout 

 feed on the young grayling. As a food-fish, the 

 grayling, of course, ranks high; but the true 

 sportsman will hardly seek such fish as these to 

 fill his frying-pan. They are considered gamy 

 fishes, although less strong than the brook-trout, 

 and perhaps less wary. The five or six known 

 species of grayling are very closely related, and are 

 doubtless comparatively recent offshoots from a 

 common stock, which has now spread itself widely 

 through the northern regions. 



The common Grayling of Europe (Thymallus. 

 thymallus) is found throughout northern Europe, 

 and as far south as the mountains of Hungary and 

 northern Italy. The name Thymallus was given 

 by the ancients, because the fish, when fresh, had 

 the odor of water thyme, an odor which the 

 duller sense of the moderns now fails to detect. 

 Grayling belonging to this or other species are 

 found in the waters of Russia and Siberia. 



The American Grayling (Thymallus signifer) is 

 widely distributed in British America and Alaska. 

 In several streams in northern Michigan and in 

 Montana occurs a dwarfish variety of this species, 

 known to anglers as the Michigan Grayling (Thy- 

 mallus signifer ontariensis). 1 This form has a 



1 Thymallus tricolor Cope = Thymallus montamis Milner. 



