THE SALMON FAMILY. 347 



fish which have ascended the sandy bed of the Rothay re- 

 turn and pass up the rocky channel of the sister stream — 

 a preference which appears to be exactly reversed in the 

 case of the Trout. The whole length of the channel over 

 which the Charr spawn is not more than half or three- 

 quarters of a mile — from the mouth of the Rothay up to 

 Skelwith Pool^ a reach including several small rock-lakes 

 or tarns. A certain number of fish also spawn in the lake ; 

 but it has been observed that they always affect the stony 

 parts, and of these only such as are in the immediate vicinity 

 of very deep water. The process does not commence until 

 a month or three weeks later than in the river ; and it is a 

 fact worthy of note that at this period Charr are not un- 

 frequently taken in the highest condition, and without any 

 roe in them. Does not this point to the probability of at 

 least a portion of these fish spawning only every alternate 

 year, as already alluded to in the case of the Salmon and 

 Trout? 



Like other species of the same genus, the Charrs exhibit 

 a considerable difference in their colouring ; and possibly, 

 in some cases, the colours in the males and females also 

 permanently differ. Such a variation is stated to have 

 been observed in the Charr of Ennerdale Lake, Cumber- 

 land, the males being more brilliant than the females * ; 

 but it has been suggested that the amount of colour may 

 depend not so much upon the question of sex as upon 



* Mr. Mascall, communication to the Magazine of Natural History, 

 April 1835. 



