86 MARVELS OF FISH LIFE 
for by the character of the food in Loughs Melvin and 
Mask, where the gillaroo is to be found. This food 
mainly consists of bivalves and molluses, and as we 
have already seen the trout acquire brilliant red spots 
on a molluse diet. It is stated that the stomach of the 
gillaroo is thickened in order to crack the shells of his 
indigestible food. 
The rainbow is a fish with which most people are 
now familiar, and is a native of the Pacific Coast ol 
America. Unlike the salmon and sea-trout at home, 
the rainbow spawns in the spring instead of in the 
autumn, and at the moment of writing—in the month 
of May—they are spawning in the observation pond, as 
will be described later. : 
The char is a near relative of the trout, and in our 
country is found mainly in the Lake District and in 
the Lake of Windermere in particular, though chars are 
also found in certain deep lakes in Scotland and Ireland. 
I have tried to photograph this fish, but it is impossible 
to do justice to its brilliant hues except on a colour 
plate. 
Char keep to deep water, except in the autumn, 
when they come on to the shallow banks or ascend 
streams in order to spawn. At the breeding season the 
char as seen in Windermere is a very brilliant fish. The 
back, right down to the lateral line, is of a dark green 
shade, and this gradually tones off into a rich crimson 
colour on the under-parts, and on the green sides of the 
fish are numerous well-marked red spots. The fins on 
