282 
THE PIRAYA, OR PIRAI. 
ng mg for it is pleasant sport. Picturesque scenes are often noticed in Boston harbor when 
the water is frozen over solid. Holes are cut in the ice, and Smelts taken through them by 
line and hook. . Tents are spread, and the scene becomes exceedingly active and curious. 
DeKay says this beautiful fish “derives its name from the fact that its smell resembles 
that of cucumbers.” 
Hext to the salmon, the bright-scaled carmine-speckled active Trout is perhaps the 
greatest favorite of anglers, and fully deserves the eulogies of all lovers of the rod ; its 
peculiarly delicate flesh, its fastidious voracity, and the mixture of strength, agility and 
spirited courage with which it endeavors to free itself from the hook, forming a combination 
of excellences rarely met with in any individual fish. 
The Trout is found in rapid and clear-running streams, but cares not for the open and 
shallow parts of the river, preferring the shelter of some stone or hole in the bank, whence it 
may watch for prey. Like the pike, it haunts some especial hiding-place, and, in a similar 
manner, is sure to take possession of a favorable haunt that has been rendered vacant by the 
demise of its predecessor or its promotion to superior quarters. V arious baits are used in fishing 
for Trout, such as the worm, the minnow, and the fly, both natural and artificial, the latter 
being certainly the neatest and most artistic method. The arcana of angling are not within 
the province of this work ; and for information on that subject, the reader is referred to 
the many valuable works which have been written by accomplished masters of the art. 
There is a curious method of catching Trout, much in vogue among the juvenile fishers. 
This piocess is called tickling, and is managed as follows ; The tickler gets quietly into 
the stream, and walks slowly along the banks, feeling carefully for any depression or cavity. 
One hand is then introduced very gently, while the other is placed over the entrance of the 
hole, the fingers being spread so as to prevent the exit of any fish that may happen to be 
resident in that locality. Several such cavities may be tried without success, but at last the 
, smooth side of a fish is felt by the finger-tips. 
The startled fish gives a great flounce on being touched, and tries to dash out of the hole, 
but, being checked by the spread hand, retires to the recesses of its cavern. The finger-tips 
are then gently brought against the abdomen of the fish, which soon endures the contact, and 
permits the hand gradually to inclose it. As soon as that is the case, the fish is suddenly 
grasped, snatched out of the hole, and flung ashore before it can find time to struggle from the 
captor’s hold. Some accomplished ticklers aver themselves to be capable of thrusting the 
fore-finger into the gill and out at the mouth, and hooking out the fish in this singular 
manner. 
The color of the Trout is yellowish-brown above, speckled with dark reddish-brown, and a 
number of carmine spots are scattered along, each side of the lateral line. The abdomen is 
silvery-white, and the lower part of the sides rich golden-yellow. There is, however, consid- 
erable variation in the color of the Trout, the locality having considerable influence upon the 
tints. 
One or two other species of this genus require still a passing notice. 
The Bull, or Gray Trout {Salmo eriox ) is found plentiful. 
It often attains a very large size, but a specimen weighing more than fifteen pounds is not 
very common. 
The Salmon Trout ( Salmo trutta ) is another species, and in general habits is very like 
the Salmon, migrating to the sea, and returning to the rivers in a similar fashion. It is 
. illustrated with the Salmon on page 280. 
The Charr ( Salmo salvelinus ), the well-known and delicately flavored Smelt ( Osmerus 
eperlanus ), called also the Spirling or Sparling, the Grayling ( Tliymallus vulgaris), the 
Y exdace (Cor eg onus loillougRbii ), and the Argentine (Scopelus Tmmboldtii), so useful for 
bait, all belong to the same family as the salmon and the trout. The accompanying illustra- 
tion represents two of them. 
The Piraya, or Pirai, has been removed from the salmonidse and placed in another 
family on account of certain structural differences. 
