358 THE ANGLER-NATURALIST. 



tally upon the hand to be looked at, in which position its 

 varied tinting is seen to the greatest advantage. 



In addition to its delicate colouring the Grayling has 

 been always supposed to possess a peculiar smell, which in 

 my opinion rather resembles the odour of cucumber than 

 that of the thyme from which it takes its designation 

 Thymallus, or ' thy my/ This peculiar odour is also ex- 

 haled in a still more remarkable degree by the Smelt. 



The name Grayling is probably a modification of ' Gray- 

 lines/ in reference to the longitudinal dusky-blue bars 

 with which its body is marked. 



The size of Grayling varies much in different localities ; 

 but they rarely exceed 3 Ibs. in weight, and by far the 

 greater number of those taken are under 1 Ib. Occasion- 

 ally, however, they are met with of even a larger size 

 than that above named : T. Lister Parker, Esq., took three 

 fish in the Avon, near Bingwood, which together weighed 

 12 Ibs. : a Grayling of 4J Ibs. weight was killed in the 

 Test, and one of 5 Ibs. is recorded to have been taken in 

 the neighbourhood of Shrewsbury. 



The food of the Grayling, besides flies, worms, cater- 

 pillars, and the like, consists of the larvae of dragon-flies, 

 May-flies, and other ephemera, remains of the cases of the 

 former and the skins of all of them being frequently found 

 in their stomachs. 



Unlike the Salmon species generally, the Grayling never 

 jumps out of water, and is apparently unable to surmount 

 either natural or artificial obstructions or to stem very 



