THE TKOUT. 127 



to be found, I can only. refer my readers to such standard 

 works as those of Steward, Stoddard, Blakey, Pennell, 

 Francis, and others, not forgetting the numbers of the 

 Fisherman's Magazine; — and for special information as to 

 the different stations for Trout fishing in Scotland I cannot 

 do better than recommend Mr. Watson Lyall's Sports- 

 man's Guide, to be obtained at almost any bookseller's 

 and bookstall in the United Kingdom. My special 

 business is with our Common Trout. 



The Common Trout, Sal/mo fario — a member, as I 

 have said, of the yellow or golden tribe, called also the 

 Common Brown Trout (" to make confusion worse con- 

 founded") — is familiarly known to most anglers. We 

 might almost call it the English Trout, for in English 

 waters is it most abundant, though well distributed oyer 

 Scotland and Ireland and most continental countries. 

 There is hardly a county in England without its trout 

 stream ; but the waters of Hampshire, Devonshire, Derby- 

 shire, and the five Northern counties bear off the palm. But 

 though the Common Trout is a distinct species of trout, 

 and by naturalists to be distinguished easily enough from 

 the other species above mentioned, it is a remarkable 

 fact that the trout in one river differ very considerably 

 in form and colouring from the trout in another. Indeed 

 I might almost go as far as to say that no two rivers 

 produce trout shaped and marked alike. Every river 

 seems to have its own " breed " of trout, though the 

 difference in colouring is in many instances to be ac- 

 counted for by the difference in the geological character 

 of the beds of rivers, the aquatic vegetation, and the food 

 most plentifully supplied to the fish. 



Ichthyologically, the Common Trout is an interesting 



