THE GRAYLING. 



371 



does not seem as if this green could be represented by the 

 painter's art ; it is that changeable shade seen in the tail 

 of the peacock. 



" In shape the fish is like a trout, a trifle slimmer, perhaps, . 

 and not so thick near the tail, but the fin on the back of a 

 trout looks so small and square, so deficient in outline and 

 color, after beholding the graceful curve of a grayling's dor- 

 sal! The scale is large, silvery, with sometimes a, copper 

 tinge ; near the shoulders there are black spots, sometimes 

 triangular, and at others V-shaped ; in some fish these ex- 

 tend nearly to the tail near the back ; they are in lines, 

 which gradually shorten toward the belly ; the mouth is 

 small (nearly square when opened), and the teeth are merely 

 a slight roughness on the lips, none on the tongue. But you 

 want to see him come in on a line, with his fins all standing, 

 and your eye will then give you a, better idea than all the 

 cold-blooded descriptions could ever do." And, again, he 

 says : " I wish to add a little to the description given in my 

 former article, as a little longer acquaintance has developed 

 new beauties. 



" The eye of the grayling is large and full, with a beautiful 

 yellow iris, and when I wrote ' the tail is forked and plain,' I 

 had not observed its pinkish edge, nor the changeable metallic 

 green lustre that it shows in some lights, which is more like 

 that seen in silk. A glint of the same is also observable on 

 the second dorsal. Many letters have asked the question, ' is 

 this fish as handsome as the trout? ' And in answer I will 

 say, to some eyes, while to others it may not be. Seen from 

 above it does not appear so, as the pink and white of the 

 trout-fins are more showy. The form of the grayling is more 

 graceful than the trout's, and the head is beautiful, while the 

 gide of the trout and its lower fins are more gorgeous than 



