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Also called the Bull Trout, or Sea Trout, is thicker than the common trout in the body, weighing about three pounds; it has a large smooth head, which, as well as the back, is of a bluish tint, with a green gloss; the sides are interspersed with black spots; the tail is broad chiefly at the end. It is said that in the beginning of summer the flesh of this fish begins to redden, and holds this colour till the month of August; which circumstance is very probably owing to their being on the point of spawning. Like the Salmon, this fish is an inhabitant of the sea; but in the months of November and December it enters the rivers, in order to deposit its ova; and consequently, in the spawning season, it is occasionally found in lakes and streams, at a great distance from the sea. It is very delicate, and much esteemed on our table; but as it contains a great deal of fat, it ought to be dressed as soon as possible, for it would soon turn to putrefaction. Some people prefer this to Salmon, but they are both apt to cause sickness when eaten in too great a quantity.

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THIS fish, in figure, resembles the salmon; it has a short roundish head, and a blunt snout. Trouts breed and live constantly in small rivers, the transparent stream of which frets along upon the clean pebbles and beds of sand that lie at the bottom of the water. They feed on river flies and other water insects, and are so fond of them, and so blindly voracious, that anglers deceive them with artificial flies made up of feathers, wool, and other materials, which resemble very closely the natural ones. In Lough Neagh, in Ireland, Trouts have been caught weighing thirty pounds; and we are told, that in the lake of Geneva, and in the northern lakes of England, they are found of a still larger size. It holds the first place among the river fish, and its flesh is very delicious, but hard of digestion when old, or kept too long. They spawn in the month of December, and deposit their eggs in the gravel at the bottom of rivers, dykes, and ponds. To the contrary of many other fish, the Trouts are least esteemed when nearest spawning. They are properly in season in the months of July and August, being then fat and well tasted.

The following beautiful passage, from Smollett's Ode to Leven Water, may be appropriately given here:

No torrents stain thy limpid source;
No rocks impede thy dimpling course,
That sweetly warbles o'er its bed,
With white, round, polish'd pebbles spread;
While, lightly poised, the scaly brood,
In myriads, cleave thy crystal flood;
The springing Trout, in speckled pride;
The salmon, monarch of the tide;
The ruthless pike, intent on war:
The silver eel, and mottled par.
Devolving from thy parent lake,
A charming maze thy waters make,
By bowers of birch and groves of pine,
And hedges flower'd with eglantine.

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THE GRAYLING, OR UMBER,

Is longer than the trout, and measures sometimes twenty inches in length. The back and sides are of a silvery gray, and when the fish is first taken out of the water, slightly varied with blue and gold. The coverts of the gills are of a glossy green, and the scales are large.

Grayling delight chiefly in clear and rapid streams, where they afford great amusement to the angler. They are very voracious, and rise eagerly to the fly. They are bolder fish than trout, and even, if missed several times successively, they will still pursue. They feed principally on worms, insects, and water snails; and the shells of the latter are often found in great quantity in their stomachs. They spawn in the months of April and May. The largest fish of this species, ever heard of, was one caught in the Severn, which weighed five pounds.

Ancient writers strongly recommended these fish as food for sick persons; they considered them to be peculiarly wholesome, and easy of digestion.

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THE SMELT, OR SPARLING,

Is in length about eight or nine inches, and nearly one broad; the body is of a light olive green, inclining to silver white. The smell of this small fish, when fresh and raw, is not unlike that of ripe cucumbers, but it goes off in the frying-pan, and then the smelt yields a tender and delicate food. They inhabit the sea-coast and harbours; and are taken in the Thames, and other large rivers, which they ascend in the spawning season. The skin of this fish is so transparent, that, with the help of a microscope, its blood may be seen to circulate.

Smelts are found on the coasts of all the northern countries of Europe, and even in the Mediterranean. They vary considerably in size. Mr. Pennant states that the largest he had ever heard of measured thirteen inches in length, and weighed half a pound.

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Is not unlike the trout; the scales are very small; the colour of the body marked with numerous spots and points, black, red, and silvery, mixed with yellow, and without a circle; the back tinged with olive green; the belly white, the snout bluish. All the fins, except those of the back, are reddish, and the adipose one is red on its edge. It measures, in length, about twelve inches. This fish is esteemed very delicate by all nations, and chiefly by the Italians. They have it plentifully in Lago di Gardo, near Venice; and it is also found, not only in our northern lakes in Westmoreland and Scotland, but also in those large ponds of water at the foot of the mountains in Lapland. The potted Char enjoys a high and deserved reputation in several parts of the continent, as well as in England.

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