The Identification of Salmon and Trout. 155 



well in Australia, owing to the high tempera- 

 ture to which it would be subjected. 



The "brown trout," oxS.fario ausonii, is 

 of exceedingly rapid growth, equalling in this 

 respect, if not excelling in its early stage, that 

 of the salmon, and it has the faculty of adapt- 

 ing itself to very different conditions. It does 

 well in the creeks and rivers of Victoria; it 

 thrives in a still pond, where there is little or 

 no current for many months in the summer ; 

 and it is able to live in the brackish water of 

 the estuaries of the Tasmanian and New Zea- 

 land rivers, when it becomes so changed as to 

 puzzle the savants as to its identity. It then 

 becomes, to some extent, migratory, as it is 

 obliged to ascend into fresh water to spawn. 

 This adaptability to circumstances, and its 

 great size, rapid growth, and prolific nature, 

 besides its power of enduring high tempera- 

 tures, render it exceedingly valuable wherever 

 it has been introduced. 



The Salmo fario never assumes the silvery 

 garb of the migratory kinds, although at the 

 approach of the breeding season its colours 

 become more brilliant and lustrous. 



The Salmo eriox (L. Sys. Nat.), or 8. 



