346 



ERSKINE-STUART : THE BULL TROUT. 



suppose the Bull Trout is a hybrid, but if so, it certainly propagates 

 its species, or from whence come the enormous number which 

 frequent the Tweed and its tributaries. Dr. Giinther makes Sahno 

 eriox and Salmo cambricus the same, but the Sewin and the Sea Trout 

 rarely attain a very large size. The Bull Trout, on the contrary, often 

 reaches from 20 lbs. to 30 lbs.' — ('Salmon, Trout, and Grayling.' By 

 Ed. Hamilton, M.D., F.L.S.). I am acquainted with an angler who 

 was landing an ordinary sized trout {S. farid) from the Whitadder, 

 when a large Bull Trout suddenly jumped from the water, and tore 

 the trout off his hook, and bolted with it. This has occurred more 

 than once on this river. It is peculiar that the Whitadder is totally 

 invaded by this fish, and that the true Salmon {S. salar) never enters 

 it to spawn. The reason of this I have never heard explained. 

 Again, the Blackadder, a mossy stream coming out of .the peat bogs, 

 which joins the Whitadder low down, is never frequented by these 

 Salmonoids, their instinct evidently leading them to the sister stream, 

 which is gravelly and clear, and more fitted for spawning purposes. 

 And further, such a fish as the Sea Trout is very rarely ever seen in 

 the Whitadder, the S. eriox evidently monopolising it. The Bull 

 Trout is very destructive to the spawn of the common trout, and also 

 to the young fry, and the riparian proprietors on the Whitadder now 

 allow all and sundry to angle for these pirates during the spawning 

 season, when they readily take either fly or worm. The weight of 

 evidence given before the Tweed Commissioners is to the effect that 

 the Bull Trout is a true species. The Bull Trout on Tweedside is 

 not looked on with much favour as a food supply, and the damage 

 which it does to the trout fry and spawn in the rivers has rendered 

 the wholesale destruction of the fish a popular measure of angling 

 reform in the district. It has even been proposed by some to prevent 

 these fish from entering the river Whitadder, by presenting a barrier 

 to their progress at its mouth. How different from the Sea Trout, 

 whose flesh is nearly as good as true Salmon, and the sport with 

 which fish is even more exciting than with the true Salmon, in pro- 

 portion to his size, for he is game to the last, while the Bull Trout 

 is easily mastered by the angler. 



In conclusion, I think we have fair grounds for saying that the 

 Bull Trout of the Tweed is surely entitled to specific rank, for all 

 writers are agreed that in that river this fish is seen to possess more 

 distinctive characters than it generally does elsewhere. 



Billhope braes for bucks and raes, 



And Casit Haugh for swine, 



And Tarras for the good Bull Trout 



If he be ta'en in time. — Old Ballad. 

 (Quoted by Sir Walter Scott in Notes to the ' Lay of the Last Minstrel.') 



Naturalist, 



