GRAYLING. 183 



the flower of fishes. It measures, I find, 14 inches 

 in length; in girth 7 1. It weighs 17 ounces. It 

 has 10 spines in the pectoral fin, 23 in the dorsal, 

 16 in the ventral, 14 in the anal, and 18 in the 

 caudal.* 



HAL. Now for its anatomy. Its stomach is very 

 thick, not unlike that of a charr or gillaroo trout, and 

 contains flies, gravel, and larvae, with their cases. 

 The liver and bowels do not differ much from those 

 of a trout ; and the ovaria or roe, with eggs as large 

 as mustard seed, are on each side the air bladder. 

 Though a thicker fish, the grayling does not weigh 

 much more than the trout in proportion to his length : 

 the greater breadth of back is compensated by the 

 more rapid tapering of tail, and a trout in very high 

 season will sometimes equal in weight a grayling of 

 the same length. The ova in this fish, and in the 

 species generally, are very small at this time of the 

 year; but in the beginning of April, the season of 

 their spawning, they become nearly as large as the 

 ova of the trout of the size of peppercorns. But I 

 see, Poietes, your rod is in order, and there are many 

 fish rising in this deep pool, some of which are large 

 grayling. The blue dun is on in quantity, and we 



[ * Its eye is marked by an angular pupil, pointed anteriorly ; its 

 mouth by its small and few teeth, situated in the lips and vomer ; its 

 odour, commonly faint and indistinct, by some is thought to resemble 

 that of thyme. J. D.] 



