90 THE BORDER ANGLER. 



Polwarth killed a kelt of thirty-seven pounds at Mer- 

 toun, and one of thirty- eight pounds was captured by 

 net at Horncliffe ; both of which fish, before being 

 reduced by spawning and living in fresh water, must 

 certainly have been fully fifty-pounders. For salmon 

 fishing, the Tweed at and below Coldstream is chiefly 

 worth visiting in a dry summer or autumn when 

 there have been few floods to carry the grilse up to 

 the more favourite pools above. If grilse are plentiful 

 in July and August, there is generally one to be had 

 where, just at Coldstream bridge, the Tweed on the 

 south side breaks through the " slap " of the cauld. 

 We have heard of great successes in this neighbour- 

 hood ; but we are bound to st?vte that of late years 

 these have been restricted. We saw indeed last year, 

 in a newspaper which chronicled the feats of a visitor 

 to the district, that of some fifty fish which he had 

 killed in the Lees-water in spring, only one was a 

 clean salmon. 



The Leet creeps into the Tweed past the west end 

 of Coldstream, after a sluggish course of a dozen miles 

 through the most level part of the Merse. This stream 

 is remarkable for the size attained by its trout, the 

 richness of their feeding raising them greatly above 

 the average of any other trouts on the border. Trouts 

 of two and three pounds weight are not uncommon in 

 it, and the ordinary weight is from half-a-pound to a 

 pound. The best part of it, however, flows through 

 the grounds of the Hirsel, and is preserved; but above 

 that, three miles below Swinton, it is worth a visit. 

 It also contains pike and very large eels. 



At Coldstream there are excellent inns, and good 



