2l8 DOMESTICATED TROUT. 



GENERAL REMARKS ABOUT TROUT. 



The trout has always stood at the head of the fresh- 

 water game fishes in the popular estimation. The 

 fickle public may change its favorite some time for a 

 more admired successor, but up to this time the trout 

 has distanced all rivals. This honorable place he has 

 gained and held, not by accident, but by merit. He 

 deserves to rank by himself //-.$/, for where has the 

 trout his equal ? There may be fish of nearly as fine 

 flesh as the trout, but they have a repulsive coat, like 

 the pout ; or a coarse appearance, like the bass ; or a 

 disagreeable one, like the mascalonge ; or are full of 

 bones, like the shad ; or have no game in them, like 

 the mullet ; or fail somewhere to match the excellent 

 points of the trout. There is not one of them that 

 for perfect faultlessness can compare with the trout. 

 This is his special peculiarity. He is faultless. He 

 surpasses all other fish in grace of form, in beauty 

 of coloring, in gentleness of expression, in fascina- 

 tion of manner, in gameness of spirit, in sweetness 

 and firmness of flesh, and in general personal attrac- 

 tiveness, and to excellence in these points he also 

 combines faultlessness in all others. Hence it is 

 that he is the favorite among fishes, and deserves to 

 be so. 



Trout are peculiarly suited to domestication, being 

 very hardy, easily tamed, conveniently confined, satis- 

 fied with plain food, well adapted to artificial breed- 

 ing, prolific enough to increase rapidly, and having a 

 sufficiently high value as live game, or as a table lux- 



