308 THE BORDER ANGLER. 



The two lochs are together about four miles in 

 length, that of the Lowes being nearly a mile, and St. 

 Mary's being rather more than three miles. They wind 

 amongst the hills, expanding or contracting as the 

 latter recede or jut out, but nowhere is St. Mary's 

 more than half a mile, while the Loch o' the Lowes 

 is only about three or four hundred yards, in breadth. 

 Salmon and bull-trout make their way up the Yarrow 

 so far in close-time, and have even been caught in St. 

 Mary's at other seasons. St. Mary's is the best for the 

 trout-fisher, being full of fine fish, which, although 

 capricious as the trout of all lochs are, often well repay 

 the angler's labour. They do not attain the size of 

 those of most of the Highland lochs, and a trout of 

 more than a pound and a half in weight is not at all of 

 frequent occurrence ; but the greater proportion of them 

 run from six ounces to a pound, and are thus of course 

 superior to the average of most of the border streams. 

 These lochs can be fished sufficiently well from the side, 

 or by wading, there being no tempting islands or shoals 

 in the middle which it is desirable to reach ; and the 

 angler can of course accommodate himself to the wind, 

 when there is any, by fishing from the bank on which 

 it favours his cast. 



Loch-fishing can seldom be practised with much 

 success, without a smart breeze. Occasionally towards 



and a thousand mair, I observed, ' a cosy bield this o' Tibbie's, 

 —just like a bit wren's nest.' " 



And so each goes on amplifying his illustration. Tibbie's, 

 however, is no longer " theekit wi' moss," but has got a slated 

 roof, and an eke that had come to be much wanted. She has 

 now, in one corner and another, seven beds for the accommo- 

 dation of her visitors. 



