THE TROUT. 125 



Fish of the ordinary kind. The Salmon, though happily 

 in a gastronomic point of view he is an ordinary fish in 

 his season, having by judicious legislation been brought 

 down at times to as little as a shilling per lb., and even 

 less for retail purchasers, is in his piscatorial aspect an 

 extraordinary fish, as the Salmon fisherman is a sportsman 

 of an almost distinct species from that of ordinary 

 anglers, fly fishermen included. Moreover, to deal satis- 

 factorily with the Salmon and Salmon fishing would be 

 impossible even in a very long chapter. The subject 

 requires a book to itself, and perhaps some day I may 

 attempt such a book, combining with Salmon and Salmon 

 fishing a series of disquisitions on the different kinds of 

 trout and trout fishing, which I can only cursorily allude 

 to in the present Note, devoted as it mast almost neces- 

 sarily be to our Common River Trout. 



The Salmon, Salmo salar, the " Prince of Fishes," is 

 the representative of the Royal Family of the Salmonidce, 

 the most distinctive feature of which ichthyologically is the 

 second dorsal fin, just above the tail, of an adipose or 

 fatty character, and entirely destitute of fin rays. The 

 Trouts, which are very widely distributed, being found 

 even within the Arctic circle, all belong to this family, 

 which is one of the families ranging under the Order of 

 the Malacopterygii or " soft-finned " fish. 



The Salmonidoe with which we have to do may be 

 divided into .three species — (1) The Migratory species, i.e. 

 the "sea-going" Trouts; 2, the Non-migratory; and 3, 

 the Charrs. Of the last-named, of which five or more 

 distinct varieties are recognized by naturalists as found in 

 British waters, it is only necessary to say that in conse- 

 quence of their habits and comparative scarcity they do 



