How to obtain it. 117 



they make good fish, and I have instances of their reaching half- 

 a-pound in weight the following summer. 



In 1887 I first noticed the great advantage that accrued from 

 turning out trout yearlings in August and September, and followed 

 up the experiment with a repetition of the same success in 1888. 

 In 1889, on August 26th, I set out with 2,000 yearlings in a 

 special railway car, fitted with suitable apparatus and a good 

 supply of ice, and delivered them in safety at a station on the 

 Highland Railway, The fish left the yearling house at the Solway 

 Fishery at four p.m., and arrived at their destination at two thirty- 

 five a.m., a journey of ten and a half hours, and on examination 

 of the cans not a single dead or ailing fish was to be found all 

 were in perfect health. Here, however, a most unexpected delay 

 took place. The fish were for a loch some four miles from the 

 station, and the carts and men were waiting there, but the keeper 

 in charge of them assured me that it was quite impossible to start 

 until it was daylight, as there was no road a greater part of the 

 way, and it would be quite impracticable to do it in the dark. I 

 protested and declined further responsibility, but he remained 

 firm, and would not order out his men and horses, and for three 

 hours we waited. The morning was dull and drizzly, and daylight 

 was slow in appearing. We had a comfortable room at the 

 station, with a good fire and a liberal supply of both solids and 

 liquids for the inner man, which had been sent down for our 

 benefit. 



I had many a look at the fish, feeling anxious about them, 

 and at the end of three hours or so a few were showing signs of 

 weakness. On being told that the fish were dying, and that I 

 would have nothing more to do with them unless a start was 

 made at once, the horses were yoked, the carriers stowed on the 

 carts, and the journey commenced. The road was good enough 

 for a mile and then lay over the heather, but some carts having 

 been over a short time before with materials for a shooting hut, I 

 found we could have managed it quite well had we started earlier. 

 I had travelled a rougher way on a darker night, and saw no 

 difficulty whatever. The road was rough and there were streams 

 to ford that were rougher still, but the water was low at the time 

 and we got safely through, though the jolting was very great, and 



