128 



Sea-Trout 



experience in dealing with them have no trouble whatever in dis- 

 tinguishing them at a glance. In marking the salmon smolts we are 

 not aware of having made a single mistake in this connection, although 

 there were plenty of yellow-fins also in the net, and no wired sea-trout 

 have been caught. Although, too, the smolt of the sea-trout are called 





--^llt. 



Fig. i23.--Sea-ti'Out, showing scales from the adipose fin to the lateral line. 

 The four specks arc sea-lice. 



yellow-fins, they have not all yellow fins : some of their fins are almost 

 as dark as those of a salmon smolt (Fig. 125). As a rule, the yellow- 

 fins are larger than the salmon smolts, and this may be accounted for 

 by the fact that the former are from a month to six weeks older, and 

 therefore have an earlier start than the salmon smolts. 



I am of opinion that the yellow-fins do not go far out to sea 

 before returning as whitling (Fig. 126) about the end of June. 

 During the whole season we catch them, in the estuary, in all stages 



