THE GREAT LAKE TROUT. 249 



Greville in Loch Assynt, where the species is more 

 than usually numerous.* But they certainly seem 

 in general to be almost entirely piscivorous ; so 

 that with the exception of night lines baited also 

 with trout trolling is the only advisable mode of 

 angling for them. The young, however, rise very 

 freely at ordinary lake-trout flies, and are generally 

 caught in this way from one to one and a half pound 

 weight. They occur abundantly near the outlet of 

 Loch Awe. 



This noted Salmo ferox appears to be very ex- 

 clusively a lake species, seldom ascending or de- 

 scending rivers, or wandering in and out of them, 

 as other species do, and it is never known to migrate 

 to the sea. In autumn and early winter as we 

 ascertained in Sutherland they ascend the rivers 

 with a view to spawn ; but they do not proceed in 

 this their upward journey, with the determined and 

 far-searching pertinacity of their bright congener 

 the salmon. It has been alleged, that in Loch 

 Awe they spawn along the deep banks of the lake in 

 the neighbourhood of the gorge, and in the gorge 

 itself, where it empties its immense waters, and 

 forms the river Awe. They are said to remain en- 

 gaged in this operation for two or three months, 

 and at this time their instinctive tendencies are so 

 far changed, that they will rise at large and gaudily 

 dressed salmon-flies, and may be either angled for 

 from the banks, or trolled with a cross line, where 

 the outlet of the lake is narrow. They appear but 



* Our last angling party to Loch Assynt killed above a dozen 

 specimens of S.feroy, during a few days, not at all exclusively de- 

 voted to the capture of that or any other kind of fish. 



