NOTES ON SOME SCOTTISH SALMONID^E 83 



limpid, and the water deepens steeply and abruptly from the 

 shore, like the arms of a letter Y. It is fed from the hill by 

 a small, trickling, steep-flowing burn, which then glides slow 

 for 1 60 yards ; and an equally, or nearly as, steep, rugged 

 stream flows from it directly, losing itself amongst large rough 

 stones and boulders. The lochan lies in the aforesaid hollow, 

 amongst rather flat land on the one side, through which the 

 feeding streamlet runs. A fringe of water-sedges encircle 

 two parts of the edges, and the rest of the shore is stony and 

 rocky. After about 10 feet of lip or shallow margin, the 

 deep water comes rapidly. Though the water is very clear, 

 the bottom was invisible ; but the trout, when they came to 

 the small frog, could be seen many feet below the surface. 

 I glacialined the one specimen we obtained and sent it to 

 the late Dr. Francis Day, whilst he was engaged in writing 

 his valuable treatise upon our British Salmonidae. 



I am not going to theorise upon the causes or origin of 

 these peculiar varieties, being content to state the facts, and 

 the local circumstances and surroundings. But I think I 

 have said enough to point out that there is still much to 

 learn about our British Salmonidae which has never yet been 

 systematically undertaken. Of the hundreds of anglers 

 who penetrate into the farthest recesses of our Highland 

 glens and wilder forests, how many are there who devote 

 a single pencil -mark in their diaries to, or dream of ac- 

 counting for the natural phenomena which one would 

 fancy even the least observant could scarcely avoid seeing ? 

 How many are there who even imagine causes for the 

 phenomena which meet them at almost every turn ? No 

 doubt, the difficulties which appear in the course of the 

 study of the Salmonidae in an old country like ours are great, 

 if not insurmountable. But if such a study be considered in 

 conjunction with parallel studies, or chances of observation, 

 offered to the naturalists of a new country like New Zealand 

 or Australia, or to those who are conducting the introduction 

 of Salmonidae in South African colonies, if our anglers, that 

 is to say, would keep notes, and not consider the main 

 object in fishing merely to kill fish, then surely some useful 

 and valuable scientific results might ensue in course of time. 

 Many hints have been thrown out by such men as Willis 



