Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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About this entry:
First published 1934 (SND Vol. I).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
BILL, n.2 A kind of fish. (See quots.)Dmf. 1861 J. Robertson Handbook of Angling 171:
A fish, here called bills, which resembles the round-tail fish of Tweed, and runs from two to four and a half pounds weight.m.Dmf.5 1934:
The word “bill” is in common use among shepherds in upper Eskdale and Annandale. It is really a sea trout with a swallow tail that finds its way up the hill burns to spawn.e.Dmf.2 1934:
In this district “bill” is the name given to an old sea-trout, male or female, that has deposited its spawn. In the Tweed district the name applies to the male of the “yellow trout” and “round tail,” which has deposited its spawn.
