How to obtain it. 145 



On another occasion we walked from our quarters at Grange 

 to the head of Ulleswater, crossing Watendlath Fell, and over the 

 three bridges of Thirlmere now, alas ! no more up over a spur 

 of the great Helvellyn, and down the Glenridding Vale into 

 Patterdale, and, by the kind permission of the proprietor, fished 

 some water there, stayed the night and tried next morning, but 

 with very poor success, for the fish were not up from the lake. 



After luncheon, we started on the return journey, and found 

 some beautifully curious snow caverns in crossing the mountains, 

 where a stream had been snowed up, and the water flowing 

 underneath had hollowed out the frozen mass. It was getting 

 dark as we crossed the Watendlath Bridge, and the waters of the 

 celebrated tarn looked black and sombre in the dim twilight, but, 

 knowing the danger of being benighted on the hills in weather 

 that did not look the best, we hurried on until we reached the 

 road in Borrowdale. These days were most enjoyable occasions 

 in spite of the weather, which was often very wild and stormy. 



Now, however, with a well ordered set of ponds and a goodly 

 stock of breeding fish the matter is a very different one. A net 

 specially constructed is run through one of the ponds, and brings 

 to the bank at one haul several hundred fine large female fish, 

 which are at once sorted. The ripe ones are picked out by an 

 expert at a glance, and placed in tanks close by, while the unripe 

 ones are thrown back again or put into a spare pond, as may be 

 deemed most desirable at the time. Having thus separated the 

 spawners, a large number of males are similarly secured from 

 another pond, and the choicest fish are selected and also placed in 

 readiness in tanks.. A number of spawning dishes are then 

 brought out, a table on which to place them, and a few clean 

 rough towels. The dishes are thoroughly dried, and a number 01 

 female fish are thrown into a net, from which the operator takes 

 them one by one. He holds each fish successively, vent down- 

 wards, over the dish, with the left hand grasping just above the 

 tail, while the right seizes the head. A very gentle pressure 

 applied with the thumb of the right hand upon the belly of the 

 fish causes the eggs to flow in an unbroken stream into the dish, 

 till by the skilful movement of the thumb, the whole of them are 

 expelled. A novice invariably makes great bungling at this work ; 



