THE TWEED — THE TALA. 51 



and in many such small streams which flow through 

 meadows and rich soil, they are finer in flesh and colour 

 than in large rivers. These, however, are seldom 

 placed high up amongst the hills, and the trout of the 

 young Tweed and its first feeders are more distin- 

 guished for their extent and strength of jaw than for 

 their edible qualities. Of course, they gradually get 

 better as the river widens. The first burn which joins 

 the Tweed is the Core, which might dispute with the 

 Tweed the paternity of the river. Fruid-water, or 

 burn, is the next. It is larger, and is worth fishing 

 in the autumnal season when trout are difficult to be 

 procured in larger waters. The Minzion-burn comes 

 next, and then the Tala, a water w^ell worth the ac- 

 quaintance of the angler. It has two sources — one 

 the Tala proper, and the other Gameshope Loch, a 

 small sheet of water that will be best attained by fish- 

 ing up the Tala, and then striking up the Gameshope- 

 burn, which joins the Tala about four miles from the 

 Tweed, and within sight of Tala linns. There are 

 plenty of trout in Gameshope loch, and the visitor at 

 the Crook should certainly devote one day to the Tala 

 and it. (We would fain quote Professor Wilson's char- 

 acteristic sketch of a bathing-scene in the Tala, but 

 must refer our readers to the article " Streams" — of 

 which he was proud — which contains a panegyric on 

 the Crook, and has been republished in his Miscella- 

 nies.) All the streams which we have yet named flow 

 from the south, and are above the Crook, and by their 

 united contributions the Tweed at that place becomes 

 a most pleasant and convenient angling stream. 

 Abounding in trout, with fine alternations of stream 



