COMPEXSATIOX-rOND — HABBIE's HOWE. 189 



have fislied it from the Biggar-road up to the Compen- 

 sation-pond with an impression on our mind that we 

 were dabbling among stolen waters, — whether derived 

 from having read some threatening placard, or from the 

 prima facie notion of trespass suggested by climbing 

 over a wall, we cannot now say. It is a pretty burn, 

 with nice little pools. The reservoir, which is fully a 

 mile in length, belongs to the Edinburgh Water Com- 

 pany, who do not permit " permiscuous" fishing in it; 

 and the men who look after it and the more recently- 

 formed one farther up the glen have, we believe, in- 

 structions to put queries to any angler about his right 

 to fish. The run of the water between the two reser- 

 voirs is not, however, preserved, and we have managed 

 to pick out a few trout from it with worm. After a 

 flood, we should imagine numbers of fish would ascend 

 from the lower pond into the burn. There are large 

 trout in the reservoirs, and we have heard of an ave- 

 rage of a pound being attained in it with fly. No one 

 need go to Loganhouse-water for solitude. Probably 

 he has just got his rod put up, when half-a-dozen of 

 long carts, full of people, with flags flying and a 

 couple of fiddles or a pair of bagpipes playing, assail 

 at once his eye and his ear. A cab or two may also 

 whud past. For the road up the glen leads to Habbie's 

 Howe, where the canny citizens of Edinburgh love to 

 pic-nic. In all likelihood, a few carts-full will estab- 

 lish themselves half-way up on the edge of the water ; 

 the grown-up folks will commence dancing to the 

 aforesaid musical instruments within sight of the trouts 

 that have already been horrified by the procession 

 along the banks, and the juveniles of the party will 



