Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 09.djvu/186

* GBAY. 160 GRAYLING. electrics by contact with active electrics. He evolved the pi-iiiciples of the communication of eleclric power from native electrics to other bodies; discovered that electric conductivity de- wnds on material, not on color or any similar qualitv, and noted the possibility of the insula- tion of conductors by cakes of resin. His investi- gations aided Charles Du Kay, and eventually led to the invention of the Leyden jar by Musschen- broek. GRAY, Thomas (171G-71). An English poet, born in Cornhill, London, December 26, 1716. His father, Philip Gray, a money scrivener, was of a disposition so violent that his wife was obliged for a time to separate from him, and it was mainlv through her exertions that the boy was educated at school and college. In 1727 he was sent to Eton, where he formed a close friendship with Horace Walpole, son of the Prime Minister. In 1734 he entered Peterhouse, Cambridge. He disliked the mathematics and philosophy of the curriculum, and left without a deo-ree. "in 1739 he went abroad, in company with Horace Walpole. They spent more than two years in France and in Italy, visiting places of interest and exploring picture galleries. The two friends quarreled, and Gray returned alone (September, 1741 ) . Three years later the breach was healed. In the meantime Gray's father had died (1741), and his mother had settled at Stoke Poges. To please her. Gray returned to Peter- house, where he took the degree LL.B. in 1743. Little interested in law, he settled down for six years to a severe study of Greek literature. Henceforth Cambridge was his home, though he spent two vears (1759-61) in London, reading in the British Museum. In 1756 he changed his residence from Peterhouse to Pembroke. His holidays he passed with his mother at Stoke Poges, with Walpole at Strawberry Hill, and with other friends. His mother, to whom he was tenderly attached, died in 1753, and was buried at Stoke Poges. In 1757 he received the offer of the lanreateship, but declined. Feeling strongly the romantic impulse, he began about 1760 to be interested in earlv English poetry, and then in Celtic and Norse literature. In 1768 he was ap- pointed professor of history and modern lan- guages at Cambridge, at a salary of £371; but he never lectured. During his later life he made several tours, the most notable being to Glamis Castle (1765) and to the English Lakes (1769). He died at Cambridge, July 30, 1771, and was buried at Stoke Poges. Gray was a shy man, given to melancholy; he formed few but "close friendships. Having in- herited from his father a sjnall fortune, he was able to devote his life to study. He has the reputation of being, after Milton, the most 'learned of English poets. He wrote but little; yet some of these few poems are of perfect finish. "His first English poem to be published was the Ode to Eton College (1747), followed the ni^xt year by "Ode to Spring" and "On the Death of a "Favou"rite Cat." "The Elegy Written in a Conn- try Churchyard," begun in 1742. finished at Stoke Poges in 1750, was published in 1751. This poem, which has touched the popular heart, is one of the most perfect in our literature. It was followed in 1757 by the great Pindaric odes, "The Progress of Poesy" and "The Bard." In 176S he published the first collected edition of his poems, among which were tlie romantic pieces, "The Fatal Sisters" and "The Descent of Odin." He also wrote good Latin verse. Consult; Gosse, Thomas Oral/, "English Men of Letters Series" (London, 1882); Arnold's essay on Gray in Ward. EngUsh Poets, vol. iii. (London, 1880-83) ; The Wmics of Thomas llray in Prose and Verse, edited by Gosse (ib., 1884): Tovey, Letters of (Inty. Bohn's Library (ib., 1900). GBAYBACK. A sportsman's name for cer- tain sandpipers, more especially the knot (q.v.). GRAY DUCK. A local name of the gadwall. GRAYLING. A fish which in external ap- pearance and habits resembles closely a small salmon, but differs sufficiently in structural char- acter to justify its separation as of a distinct family, Thynia"llida Tlie only genus, including about" five species, is Tliyinallus. They can read- ily be distinguished from the Salmonid;T by their more slender build, larger scales, and much larger dorsal fin, and in Europe may reach a wei^ght of 4 or 5 pounds; but American speci- mens rarely exceed Hi pounds. They are in- habitants o'f the streams of arctic or cold regions, and are graceful, active fishes. Their habits are much like those of the trout, but they are con- sidered by many sportsmen sui>erior to the trout as game fish as' well as for the table. The common European grayling (Thymallus thymalUis) is very highly prized botli for game and for food. It" is found in Scandinavia, and southward to Switzerland and Hungary; what is probably the same species also inhabits North- ern Russi"a and Siberia. It is common in the Orkney Islands, and scattered about England; hut is" not known in Scotland or Ireland, and is believed to have been introduced into England, where very long ago it w-as called 'umber.' Ef- forts have been made by fish-culturists to propa- gate the English grayling and introduce it into new^ streams; but th'ey have been unsuccessful, and similar efforts with American species have also failed. These fish spawn much after the manner of trout, but in early summer instead of in the autumn, and they are more prolific. Ameeican Graylings. Two species of grayling are known in North America. One, the arctic {Thymallus signifer), called 'poisson bleu' by the Canadian fur- hunters. Inhabits clear streams from the Mackenzie River westward through Alaska. It is distinguished by its large size (18 inches), the great height of the dorsal fin, comparatively dull hues, and the five or six deep- blue spots on the forward part of the belly. The other species is the Michigan grayling {Thymal- Uis tricolor) of which an isolated variety {Mon- tana) inhabits the head-streams of the Missouri. Its existence was not known until about 1873, when it was discovered almost simultaneously in Michigan and Montana; and the sportsmen's journals of that and the following few years, especially Forest and ,S'/reom, of New York, con- tained a" great deal about it. In distribution it is limited to the Au Sable and a few similar streams in northern IMichigan, where it was for- merly locally abundant, but is rapidly nearing extermination, by reason of the introduction there by the State authorities of browii trout (see Trout), which voraciously destroy the gray- lings. Ichthyologists assert that this species and its" Western' variety represent detached colo- nies left from the former or post-glacial exten-