i6 THE SEA-TROUT 



original parents." In spite, however, of Day's painstaking and 

 exhaustive treatise, which every angler ought to make a point of reading 

 for the wealth of information it contains regarding the sporting 

 Salmonidce-, I do not think that many anglers were prepared to learn, as 

 they did from an excellent work on " The Freshwater Fishes of the 

 British Isles," by Mr. C. Tate Regan, Assistant in the Zoological 

 Department of the British Museum, which was published in 191 1, that 

 ■' In the British Isles there is only one species of Trout." 



This authoritative pronouncement came with something of a shock 

 upon all but those anglers who had devoted some little study to the more 

 scientific literature of their craft, or who, from their personal observa- 

 tions made upon fish life, had formed conclusions leading in the same 

 direction. Others were frankly sceptical, and I for one see no reason 

 to blame them, nor indeed need anyone hastily jump at conclusions. 

 The whole subject demands more complete investigation at the hands 

 of competent students. Meantime it has to be noted that Mr. Regan 

 regards the single species as a " variable species," and anglers who 

 recognise the fact that trout are well-nigh infinite in their markings and 

 vary extraordinarily in their general characteristics according to environ- 

 ment, will agree with his qualification, whether they accept his main 

 proposition or not. 



Mr. P. D. Malloch, in his " Life-History and Habits of the Salmon, 

 Sea-Trout, Trout, and other Freshwater Fish," first published in igio, 

 a work justly popular on account of the excellence of its illustrations, 

 had, of course, already prepared our minds to some extent. With 

 reference to the " Sea-trout " (Salnio iriilid) he writes : — " Having made 

 a careful study of this subject for thirty years, and having collected all 

 the information I could bearing upon it, I have come to the conclusion 

 that the sea-trout is the same fish as that which is called white trout, 

 bull-trout, gray trout, peel, sewin, brith-dail, salmon-trout, and many 

 other names." Then of " The Brown Trout " {Salmo fario), which he 



