File:A history of the fishes of the British Islands (1862) (14796585973).jpg

Identifier: historyoffisheso04couch (find matches)
Title: A history of the fishes of the British Islands
Year: 1862 (1860s)
Authors: Couch, Jonathan, 1789-1870 Lydon, A. F
Subjects: Fishes
Publisher: London, Groombridge and Sons
Contributing Library: Smithsonian Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Smithsonian Libraries

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evour the same substances, are without this par-ticvilar form of the organ. It ajipears that the fishermen arewell able to distinguish between the Gillaroo and the CommonTrout; and, for myself, (having been favoured by the kindnessof the noble Earl of Enniskillen, whose promptitude in fur-nishing me Avith supplies of this and other fishes of Irelanddemands my earnest acknowledgments,) from a close examinationof them I feel no hesitation in expressing my opinion thatthis is a distinct species from the Common Trout; and in thisit is a satisfaction to find myself supported by Mr. Thompsonin the work above referred to. That the instinct of this fishmay lead it to feed more freely on river shell-fish than theCommon and Lake Trouts which frequent the same rivers, ishighly probable; and it is probably better able than theyto crush and digest them; but it also takes freely a flyand worm, and it is to be regretted that its other moiepeculiar habits have not hitherto been closely studied. It is
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GILLAROO. 241 acknowledged, hoAvevcr, as a delicate fish for the table; and,as in some rare instances, it has been suffered to grow totwenty-four pounds, it may sometimes rival even the Salmonin the esteem of the epicure. That eminent physiological anatomist, John Hunter, remarksof the stomach of this fish that it cannot justly be ranked asa gizzard, as it is sometimes described, since it wants some ofthe most essential characters of that organ, which are—a powerand motion fitted for grinding, and the horny cuticle. Butthe stomach of the Gillaroo is more circumscribed than that ofmost fish—better adapted for small food, and endued withsufficient strength to break the shells of small shell-fish, whichwill most probably be best done by having more than one inthe stomach at a time, and also by taking pretty large andsmooth stones into the stomach, which will answer the purposeof breaking, but not so well that of grinding. But thisstomach can scarcely possess any power of grinding, as

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