252 ANGLING. 



the breast and abdomen. The whole body, when 

 the fish is newly caught, appears as if glazed over 

 with a thin tint of rich lake-colour, which fades 

 away as the fish expires, and so rapidly, that the 

 progressive changes of colour are easily perceived 

 by an attentive eye : 



it dies like parting day, 



each pang imbued 



With a new colour as it gasps away, 



The last still loveliest, till 'tis gone, and all is grey. 



The gill-covers are marked with large dark spots ; 

 and the whole body is covered with markings of 

 different sizes, and varying in amount in different 

 individuals. In some these markings are few, 

 scattered, and of a large size ; in others they are 

 thickly set, and of smaller dimensions. Each spot 

 is surrounded by a paler ring, which sometimes as- 

 sumes a reddish hue ; and the spots become more 

 distant from each other as they descend beneath 

 the lateral line. The lower parts of these fish are 

 spotless. All the fins are broad, muscular, and 

 extremely powerful. The dorsal fin is of nearly 

 the same colour with the upper part of the body, 

 and is marked with large dark spots. The caudal 

 fin is large and fleshy, and the tail is in consequence 

 remarkable both for breadth of form and strength 

 of action. It is square in those of adult growth, 

 or might even be described as rather rounded ter- 

 minally; but in the young it is slightly forked, 

 and appears to fill up gradually as the fish advances 

 in age and bulk. In the common trout, on the 

 contrary, the forked shape of the tail is an abiding 



