BROOK TROUT 



and violet which it wears, the mellow diffusion of 

 which from gills to base of caudal at once suggests 

 the descriptive phrase so often heard among anglers, 

 "the bloom of the trout." Nor is our admiration les- 

 sened as we examine his clipper-built form, the bright 

 vermilion dotlets with their dark - blue areola^ the 

 strength and symmetry of his paired fins, and the broad 

 sweep of his truncate tail, and when we have him 

 hard and fast upon a barbed hook and a springing 

 rod, we cannot fail to appreciate his knightly qualities, 

 his sturdy resistance, and keen intelligence in his ef- 

 forts to escape from the steel. 



Premising that an angler will recognize on sight 

 this brook beauty, aptly and poetically known as " the 

 pride of the rills " wherever he is taken on a light rod 

 and a dancing fly, we will now look into his home life 

 and take note of his habits, habitat, and idiosyncrasies, 

 for he is not without a few odd traits and actions. 



Fontinalis — " living in springs " — is without doubt 

 the most amply descriptive, specific name that ichthy- 

 ologists have ever bestowed upon a fish, for take a 

 trout from its native and highly aerated home and it 

 will die if placed in water of a higher temperature ; 

 put him in a large aquarium tank and ice it as you 

 may, and his life is only a question of a few months ; 

 the solstice season ends it. At the New York Aqua- 

 rium, where every appliance for the preservation of fish- 

 life is at hand and intelligently used, the brook trout 

 can seldom be kept from season to season. 

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