THE POWAN, POLL AN, VEND ACE, AND GRAYLLNG 287 



The grayling is not gregarious like the Coregoni and 



smelts, to both of which genera it bears a family likeness ; 



but, like the trout, finds all company inferior to 



Distribution. . ^^ 1 • 1 j ^^ 



its own. Its geographical range corresponds pretty 

 closely with that of the brown trout, but it is far less generally 

 distributed, and it is not indigenous to the north of England, 

 Scotland, or Ireland. However, within the last forty years 

 or so it has been introduced to many waters where it was un- 

 known, and has become thoroughly established and numerous 

 in the Clyde and Tweed, the Eden, and elsewhere. The 

 expediency of this has been sharply questioned by salmon 

 and trout .fishers ; and in truth it can scarcely be doubted 

 that grayling, being at their period of greatest activity when 

 salmon and trout are spawning, devour large quantities of 

 the ova of these fish. Personally, I should be most strongly 

 averse from bringing them into any sahnon-river where they 

 did not exist already, or to any stream where the trout are 

 worth consideration. The chief, perhaps the only, superiority 

 of grayling over trout from the sportsman's point of view is 

 that they are in finest condition and rise most freely to the 

 fly just at the season when trout are unfit to be taken. Let 

 him, therefore, who hath two trout streams unconnected with 

 each other, stock that which contains the less excellent trout 

 with grayling ; so shall he have fine fare all the year through, 

 and good fishing whenever water and weather agree. But the 

 man of one trout stream will do best to leave well alone. 



The artificial flies for grayling are of the same character 

 as those for trout. To learn the refinement which has been 

 applied to these of late years, and especially the supreme craft 

 of presenting them " dry," there is abundant literature wherein 



Indocti discant et ament meminisse periti. 



In my opinion small grayling furnish a more toothsome repast 

 than any trout except the choicest, and these also should be 

 small. 



