THE TROUT. 71 



is a strong, fierce fish, and when attaining the weight 

 of two pounds, begins to despise your flies, and becomes 

 a sort of cannibal, preying upon its own species with 

 much rapacity. Its proportions, when large, are some- 

 what singular, the depth of the fish being astonishingly 

 great when compared with the length. A thirty pound 

 lake trout seldom measures a single yard, while a sal- 

 mon of equal weight is considerably larger. The great- 

 est number of these fish known to be captured by the 

 rod in one day was thirteen. These were taken on 

 Loch Awe, as early as March, or the beginning of April, 

 some years ago, by a party of English gentlemen, 

 among whom was a Mr Lavrock, from Keswick, and 

 weighed altogether above ninety pounds. Since that 

 time, they have gradually become shyer ; it is now a 

 matter of difficulty to procure a single specimen. 

 Early in spring, however, before small trout leave their 

 winter retreats, these monsters will dash after your 

 spinning bait with great avidity, should the weather be 

 fine and clear. The external appearance of the great 

 lake trout, when newly taken, undergoes, like that of 

 the dolphin, a rapid process of change. The beautiful 

 orange tint, which, when alive, is spread over the lower 

 parts of the fish, is converted by degrees into a dingy 

 colour ; the spotted surface loses much of its brilliancy, 

 the gloss is diminished, and the whole body becomes 

 altered. 



The gillaroo, or gizzard trout of Ireland, has of late 

 years been discovered to be an inhabitant of many of 

 our northern lakes, especially those bordering on the 

 coasts of Sutherland and Ross-shire. This species of 

 trout attains to a considerable size, although still very 

 inferior in average weight to the salmoferox of Loch 

 Awe. The leading singularity of the gillaroo is the 

 possession of strong digestive powers, and a thick coated 



