LOCH SALMON -FISHING. 79 



The heaviest Falloch sea-trout taken by me were 

 from 5 to upwards of 7 Ib. ; but I have frequently 

 captured them in Loch Baa from 9 to 12 Ib. Like 

 salmon, none of these Loch Baa monsters ever 

 ascended the feeding burns, although in autumn 

 one stream near the top of the loch was full of sea- 

 trout from 1 to 3 Ib. weight. My son, then a lad, 

 used to row over to this mountain brook, and sel- 

 dom returned without several of those white trout, 

 besides a large basket of yellow. His last take 

 was five sea-trout from 1| to 3 Ib., and seven 

 dozen burn ones. He always fished with worm, 

 and chose a day when the burn was quite dwin- 

 dled. In such small water as this there was no 

 need of a reel, but the gut required to be nearly 

 as fine as horse-hair. As in burn-trout bait-fishing, 

 he always threw up-stream, seldom, however, mov- 

 ing a sea -trout where the burn ones bit freely. 

 These pigmies are obliged to keep their distance 

 from the leviathans that invade them in autumn,. 

 Each sea-trout then chooses a pool, and preys 

 easily and greedily in such clear confined water on 

 the burn-trout fry, driving away those too large 

 for food, in order to prevent them from sharing in 



