SALMONID^. 91 



west coast of Scotland, while whiffers for pollack on the south coast of England 

 not nnfrequently take a sewin. In Ireland a few salmon-tront are taken in the 

 mullet nets ; in Belfast Bay they are captured in large quantities early in the 

 morning, if possible before day-break, by drawing sandy bays. In the Bristol 

 Channel, where the Severn, Wye, and Usk debouch, there exist certain fixed engines 

 termed putts and putchers, which, although capturing more salmon and grilse 

 than sewin, still are employed to take this fish. These fixed engines were 

 declared nuisances and illegal, unless proved to have been in existence prior 

 to Magna Charta : even then an annual close time was decreed, as well as a 

 weekly one. The fish Commissioners in 1879 were requested by the fishermen 

 to aid their endeavours to make it legal to omit the weekly close time, provided 

 the yearly close season were extended from September 1st to February 1st 

 (practically it did not pay to commence before March or April) to from 

 September 1st to March 18th, and now, due to the Commissioners' report, 

 week days and Sundays alike this fishing goes on without a weekly close time 

 (Field, August 2nd, 1879). 



Breeding.— -The number of eggs deposited by the Salmo trutta is very similar 

 to what obtains in the salmon, and the remarks already made (p. 75) may be 

 referred to. In a very severe winter Couch found the sewin depositing its eggs as 

 late as January 22nd in the Fowey in Cornwall. The impurities and enemies 

 affecting those of one form are similarly inimical to those of the other (p. 65), 

 and as showing how anadromous species may deem it useless spawning in salt 

 water, I will quote Mr. Jackson, Land and Water (June 10th, 1876), who 

 observes that the " Salmon-trout cast their ova in the salt water in the Southport 

 Aquarium, without assuming the appearance of kelts, or even leaving off feeding 

 greedily on shrimps. They did not attempt to make a bed, and the spawn was 

 immediately eaten by their fellows." While the eggs of this species, similarly 

 to those of the salmon, have been safely conveyed to and hatched at the 

 antipodes. 



Life history. — The young Salmo trutta, as already observed, is very similar 

 to the young of the salmon, having its parr stage, and though it has been 

 asserted that anadromous forms are distinguishable by the number of transverse 

 bands or finger marks along their sides, it will be found that such a means 

 of diagnosis fails in practice among live fish. The parr of the salmon-trout goes 

 through the smolt and grilse stage, similarly to the young of the salmon, while its 

 parr are equally voracious (p. 70).* 



As food. — Those possessing yellowish, pink, or red flesh are almost equally 

 good as the salmon: the "bull-trout," however, of the Coquet is inferior, having 

 light coloured or white flesh, as has that fish sometimes taken from the Beauly, 

 but in some places those in which it is white are of a superior description. 

 It is remarkable that those from the Coquet are almost worthless, whereas the 

 Tweed form is very valuable, this being probably due to difference in water or 

 food. As a general rule large examples are found to be coarse. 



Diseases. — Those affecting salmon (p. 81) are similarly found attacking the 

 sea trout. Even so long ago as Pontoppidan (Natural History of Norway, 1756, 

 p. 139) we find allusions to disease affecting these fish. He asserts the salmon- 

 trout, Trutta taurina, to be a very common fish in the fresh lakes and rivers, but 

 many of them are subject to a sort of disease so that they cannot be eaten. The 

 head grows very large and the body emaciated, while in their entrails are found 

 pimples resembling millet seed. Some ascribed it as due to the sawdust from 

 the mills falling into the river, while others considered it to be retained roe which 

 had become diseased. This complaint was asserted not to affect the non-migratory 

 fresh water trout. 



Habitat.— In this, only the marine variety is alluded to, and it is found in 

 northern Europe ascending rivers falling into the Baltic, North Sea, the seas 

 surrounding the British Isles, and the Seine and the Loire in France. 



* The various kinds of food suitable for young salmon are equally good for the salmon- 

 trout. 



