500 



THE NATURE BOOK 



Devonshire, where I picked up a " peal " of 

 about a pound in weight upon which 

 an otter had made a hght repast. The 

 animal had only eaten a portion of the 

 back of the fish. No doubt the otters 

 would kill more Sea Trout if they were 

 easily caught. As it is, the eel is the 

 chief prey of the otter. 



Salmon Trout frequent lakes communi- 

 cating with streams, and in many of the 

 Scotch and Irish lochs and loughs, and in 

 some of the Welsh llyns, are abundant 

 during the summer and autumn. In the 

 day-time they appear to haunt the deeper 

 water, but after dark they come into the 

 shallow bays, close to the shores, when 

 they may be heard splashing or seen 

 leaping into the air. The Sea Trout is 

 associated with scenes of wild beauty, 

 such as the gorge of the Findhorn in 

 Scotland, the Falls of the Conway and 

 the Pass of Aberglaslyn in Wales, and the 

 brawling rivers of Cumberland. In the 

 pink glow of sunset, these nimble, 

 silvery fish play in the pools and leap 

 the waterfalls, affording a sight that lives 



long in the memory of the lover of Nature 

 or the angler. No fish is so joyous as the 

 Sea Trout fresh from the sea, and none so 

 graceful in its leapings and play. 



After a sojourn in fresh water the Sea 

 Trout loses its bright appearance, and 

 the silver scales become duller and tinged 

 with brown. A few spots or blotches of 

 a dark colour develop, and the fish be- 

 comes reddish, something like the colour 

 of a pool-bound salmon in dry weather. 

 Upon its return to the sea, the silver of 

 the scales soon regains its sheen and 

 rainbow tints. 



The growth of Sea Trout in the first 

 year or so of their lives is proportionately 

 as rapid as that of the salmon. Their 

 sea-water diet is highly nutritive, but it 

 is doubtful whether they gain weight in 

 the rivers. After spawning they are 

 listless and attenuated. They lie inert 

 on the gravel shallows, and their armour 

 is dull and slimy. In the sea they attain 

 vigour quickly ; the flesh soon becomes 

 firm, the shape improves, and the scales 

 are burnished anew. 



Walter M. Gallichan. 



A WEIR WHICH SALMON TROUT LEAP. 



