112 THE BORDER ANGLER. 



The two lochs are together about four miles in 

 length, that of the Lowes being nearly a mile, and St. 

 Mary's being rather more than three miles. They wind 

 amongst the hills, expanding or contracting as the 

 latter recede or jut out, but nowhere is St. Mary's 

 more than half a mile, while the Loch o' the Lowes 

 is only about three or four hundred yards, in breadth. 

 Salmon and bull-trout make their way up the Yarrow 

 so far in close-time, and have even been caught in St. 

 Mary's at other seasons. St. Mary's is the best for the 

 trout-fisher, being full of fine fish, which, although 

 capricious as the trout of all lochs are, often well repay 

 the angler's labour. They do not attain the size of 

 those of most of the Highland lochs, and a trout of 

 more than a pound and a half in weight is not at all 

 of frequent occurrence ; but the greater proportion of 

 them run from six ounces to a pound, and are thus 

 of course superior to the average of most of the border 

 streams. These lochs can be fished sufficiently well 

 from the side, or by wading, there being no tempting 



on the out wi' dew or rain and sae is Tibbie's ; a wren's nest 's 

 for ordinar biggit in a retired spat, yet within hearin' o' the 

 hum o' men, as weel's o' water, be it linn or lake and sae is 

 Tibbie's ; a wren's nest 's no easy fun', yet when you happen to 

 keek on 't, you wunner hoo you never saw the happie housie 

 afore and sae is't wi' Tibbie's; therefore, sirs, for sic reasons, 

 and a thousand mair, I observed, ' a cosy bield this o' Tibbie's, 

 just like a bit wren's nest.' " 



And so each goes on amplifying his illustration. Tibbie's, 

 however, is no longer " theekit wi' moss," but has got a slated 

 roof, and an eke that had come to be much wanted. She has 

 now, in one corner and another, seven beds for the accommo- 

 dation of her visitors. 



