44 SCIENCE SKETCHES. 
in its habits, depositing its ova in the neighbor- 
hood of its usual haunts. The ova are said to be 
far more delicate and easily killed than those of 
the trout or charr. The grayling and the trout 
often inhabit the same waters, but not altogether 
in harmony. It is said that the grayling devour 
the eggs of the trout. It is certain that the trout 
feed on the young grayling. As a food-fish, the 
grayling, of course, ranks high; but the true 
sportsman will hardly seek such fish as these to 
fill his frying-pan. They are considered gamy 
‘fishes, although less strong than the brook-trout, 
and perhaps less wary. The five or six known 
species of grayling are very closely related, and are 
doubtless comparatively recent offshoots from a 
common stock, which has now spread itself widely 
through the northern regions. 
The common Grayling of Europe (Zhymallus 
thymallus) is found throughout northern Europe, 
and as far south as the mountains of Hungary and 
northern Italy. The name Zhymallus was given 
by the ancients, because the fish, when fresh, had 
the odor of water thyme,—an odor which the 
duller sense of the moderns now fails to detect. 
Grayling belonging to this or other species are 
found in the waters of Russia and Siberia. 
The American Grayling (Thymallus signifer) is 
widely distributed in British America and Alaska. 
In several streams in northern Michigan and in 
Montana occurs a dwarfish variety of this species, 
known to anglers as the Michigan Grayling ( Thy- 
mallus signifer ontariensis) This form has a 
1 Thymallus tricolor Cope = Thymallus montanus Milner. 
