TROUT AND SALMON COMPARED. 107 



dorsal. The salmon measures 38J inches in 

 length, and 21 inches in girth, and his weight 

 is 22^ Ibs. you see. The trout has one spine 

 less in the pectoral and two less in the anal 

 fin, and measures 30| inches in length, and 

 16 inches in girth, and his weight is 11 Ibs. 

 We will now open them. The stomach of 

 the salmon, you see, contains nothing but a 

 little yellow fluid, and, though the salmon is 

 twice as large, does not exceed much in size 

 that of the trout. The stomach of the trout, 

 unlike that of the salmon, is full of food : we 

 will open it. See, there are half digested 

 sand eels which come out of it. 



PHYS. But surely the stomachs of salmon 

 must sometimes when opened contain food? 



HAL. I have opened ten or twelve, and 

 never found anything in their stomachs but 

 tape worms, bred there, and some yellow 

 fluid; but I believe this is generally owing 

 to their being caught at the time of migra- 

 tion, when they are travelling from the sea 

 upwards, and when they do not willingly 

 load themselves with food. Their digestion 

 seems to be very quick, and their habits 



