THE TWEED — THE CROOK. 49 



command of the Tweed and its highest feeders, all of 

 which swarm with trout. Every dimple in the green 

 pastoral hills which form so beautiful a feature in the 

 scenery of these districts is traversed by rill, burn, or 

 "water." For the first few miles the Tweed itself is 

 of course but a brook ; the accession of the Fruid and 

 the Tala elevate it to the dignity of a " water;" but it 

 is perhaps not until it receives Biggar-water that it 

 can fairly be called a river. We should not recommend 

 the angler to betake himself to the Crook — or indeed 

 to any hilly region — in the early spring. Trout are 

 there late in getting into condition, the low temperature 

 retarding the development of the insect-world which 

 is to feed them up and restore the flesh they have lost 

 during the season of spawming and hunger. They 

 may be taken readily enough soon after the snows 

 have disappeared from the White Coomb and Culter 

 Fell — or even though the hills are capped with white, 

 if they are " green below the knee"; but they are still 

 poor and spiritless, and we would let the smiles and 

 (often cold) tears of April be nearly over, before 

 visiting the head of Tweeddale. By that time the 

 resident in Edinburgh will be snufiing up daily the east 

 wind in the most dissatisfied way, and he will all the 

 more enjoy the snug shelter of the Crook, and the 

 sunny uplands of Tweedsmuir, where the prevailing 

 winds are from the soft south and west. He may then 

 stretch himself by the linns of Tala without fear of 

 rheumatism, and think of the days when the perse- 

 cuted people took refuge there amongst the rocks — lie 

 may splash through the water without wading-bools, 



D 



