So numerous are trout in some of the mountainous parts of the Continent, that, having little or no sale for them, the inhabitants salt and dry them for their winter's food.
In certain lakes of the province of Galway, and other districts of Ireland, there is a kind of trout called Gillaroo trout, which are remarkable for the great thickness of their stomachs. These, from their resemblance to the organs of digestion in birds, are sometimes called gizzards; and, in the largest fish, they are equal in bulk to the gizzard of a turkey. The trout themselves are bad eating; but the stomachs are much esteemed for their fine flavour, and are in frequent request for the table.
235. CHARR (Salmo alpinus?) are a species of salmon which inhabit the lakes of mountainous countries: there are three kinds or varieties of them, called gilt charr, red charr, and case charr. Their bodies are spotted; and those of the first are of a golden colour, of the second full red, and of the case charr pale red. Their tails are forked. When full grown these fish are about ten inches in length.
They are found in Ullswater, Winandermere, and some other lakes in the north of England, in a lake near Snowdon in North Wales, and in lakes of several parts of the Continent.
There are no fish of the salmon tribe more esteemed for the table than these. The gilt charr are considered in highest perfection, and are caught in greatest numbers, from the end of September until the end of November, and the case charr about the month of May. During the summer-time all the kinds of charr sink to the bottoms of the lakes far out of the reach of the fishermen. They are usually caught with nets called breast-nets, which are about twenty-five fathoms long and five in depth.
Their flesh is of red colour, and their flavour peculiarly delicate. Great numbers of charr are potted every year, and sent to London. But of the fish which are sold under the name of potted charr many are trout; and, even in the pots which contain charr, trout are frequently to be found. In the river Petteril, which runs near Carlisle, there is a kind of trout which, both in size and colour, are so like charr that they can scarcely be distinguished from that fish.
236. The SMELT, or SPARLING (Salmo eperlanus), is a small fish of the salmon tribe, known by its silvery and semi-transparent appearance, the first dorsal fin being further from the head than the ventral fins, the under jaw being longer than the upper and curved, and the tail being forked.
Its length seldom exceeds seven or eight inches.
These fish abound on the shores of most of the countries of Europe; and, during their spawning season, they ascend the rivers sometimes in immense shoals.
About the month of November smelts begin to leave the deep water, and approach the coasts, for the purpose of depositing their spawn in the rivers. This they do in the ensuing months of March and April; and they are caught, in vast abundance, in the Thames, during this time. When in perfection, they are not only a delicious, but are considered as nutritious fish, and easy of digestion. Their name is derived from their very singular smell, and is nothing more than a contraction of "smell it." These fish are sometimes split, salted, and dried; and sold under the name of dried sparlings.