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of the deep to contend with. The smolts go down to the sea in 
their thousands when only two years old, and return in the follow¬ 
ing years fine, strong, healthy fish in the pink of condition—a 
valuable article of food for the nation. 
But when we come to Trout there is a very different tale to 
tell. The introduction of Brown Trout and Rainbow Trout has 
been one vast success. Nowhere in the world is there better Trout 
fishing than in New Zealand. An examination of the scales of the 
majority-of these New Zealand Trout show that they are assum¬ 
ing the habits of the salmon, inasmuch as spawning marks are well 
defined on the scale—similar to the Salmon—whereas their ances¬ 
tors in this country show nothing of the kind. I have examined 
a good many Trout scales during the past few years, but I have 
never yet come across a spawning mark defined on any one of 
them. This seems to show that the Trout in New Zealand take a 
longer time in their spawning arrangements, and as a consequence 
there is some considerable wastage of the body in the process, 
as in the Salmon of this country, whereas the Trout of our 
Islands occupy a much shorter time, and there is but 
little waste in the fish, so there is no spawning mark. I am 
told also that of late years the Brown Trout of the Middle (or 
South) Island migrate to the sea when of considerable size—re¬ 
turning to the rivers as bright as any Salmon. 
These two characteristics of the New Zealand Trout, viz., the 
appearance of the spawning mark on the scale, and the migration 
of the adults to the sea (both of them common to the Salmon), 
surely point to the probable evolution of a fish in years to come, 
which may accustom itself to the new surroundirigs, and which 
mav earn the title of “Sal mo Xovce Zealandice.” 
or 
