178 THE BORDER ANGLER. 



Hamilton used to talk, more suo, about "trailin' theni 

 oot wi' the mennon, twae-punclers and three-punders/' 

 We are not distinctly informed as to some small por- 

 tions of the water in which the angling is not restricted, 

 and hesitate to recommend anglers to go on chance to 

 a stream where the cordon of gamekeepers is scarcely 

 if at all broken. This protectionist system is quite of 

 recent date. 



From Allanton, where the Blackadder joins, the 

 Whitadder's course to the Tweed is about nine miles 

 in length. It receives no other tributary of any note, 

 not even a burn that is worth investigating. From 

 Allanton-bridge, to Hutton-bridge, a distance of about 

 five miles, a day's fishing of the very best description 

 may be had. At the Blue stane -ford there is a stream 

 famous amongst the anglers of the district, and every 

 two or three miles there is a deep mill-dam where 

 large trout are bred, and which is a sort of reservoir 

 for the supply of the streams above it. The trout are 

 of good average size, and still numerous, although not 

 to be compared to the swarming populations of the 

 upper streams. Such continues the character of the 

 Whitadder to its mouth. Although for the final two 

 or three miles of its course it is very much fished by 

 the anglers of Berwick and of neighbouring villages, 

 there are still trout enough for all, and, even within 

 the last few years, very great takes have been got. 

 We have known of one or two trout upwards of three 

 pounds in weight being taken from the Whitadder; but 

 of course even pound fish are exceptional, although the 

 chance of one or two is almost always offered to the 

 expert angler. We have captured an eel upwards of 



