GRAYLING (thymallus mtlgath), a fish of the family salmonidce, and of a genus dis tinguished from salmon, trout, etc., by smaller mouth and much smaller teeth, and by the greater size of the dorsal fin. The scales are also much larger. The grayling is found in many streams in England, but is, however, very local; and of two rivers in the same neighborhood, one often contains it, and the other does not. A supposition that it was brought to England by the monks, is unsupported by any evidence. It is found in the Eden and the Esk in Cumberland, in the Clyde in Lanarkshire, and in the Orkney islands. It is plentiful in many parts of Europe, and equally in Switzerland and in Lapland. It inhabits clear streams, with rocky or gravelly bottoms, and " seems to require an alteration of stream and pool." It will live in clean newly-made ponds in hard soil, although it does not breed in them, but will not live in those of muddy bottom. Its food consists chiefly of flies and aquatic larvm, and it is taken by angling in the same manner as the trout. It sometimes attains the weight of 4 or 5 lbs. The back and sides are silvery gray, marked with numerous longitudinal dusky streaks; the dorsal fin is spotted, the spots arranged in lines across the fin. The abdominal line is almost
straight, the dorsal line is considerably elevated. The grayling is greatly esteemed for the table, but requires to be cooked when newly caught, when it has an odor which has been compared to that of wild thyme. It spawns in April or May, and is in the best condition when trout are out of season, in Oct. and Nov.—There are several other species of thymallus, none of which are British. One of them, Tsignifer, a very beauti ful fish, inhabiting the clear affluents of the Mackenzie river, is called haolukpotak, the fish with, the winglike fin, by the Esquimaux. It is said to afford excellent sport to the angler; although the streams in which it is found are visited by few anglers for mere amusement.
This beautiful fish is very local in its distribution, but is abundant in most of the Scandinavian rivers. Angling for grayling is excellent sport. It rises to the same flies as those which are used for trout: it also takes worms, maggots, and other small larvae and insects. From July to the end of Oct. are the best months for grayling fishing, but in fine open days they afford sport through the winter.