The North Country Angler. 27 



Trouts in a good pond will grow much faster 

 than in some rivers, because they do not range so 

 much in feeding : how long they generally live 

 cannot be determined any other way so well, as 

 by an observation of those that are kept in ponds: 

 which observation I never had an opportunity of 

 making myself, and therefore shall only say what 

 a Gentleman told me: He assured me, that at 

 four or five years old, they were at their full 

 growth, which was in some about thirty inches, 

 in many much less. That they continued about 

 three years pretty near the same in size and good- 

 ness : two years after they grew big-headed and 

 smaller bodied, and died in the winter after that 

 change. 



But he thought the head did not grow greater,, 

 but only seemed to be so, because the body de- 

 cayed. So that according to this Gentleman's 

 computation, nine or ten years is the term of 

 their life. And yet I think they may live longer 

 in some rivers, and grow to a greater size, where 

 they have liberty to go into the tide way, and 

 salt water. I have seen middle-sized trouts 

 spawning in the heads of springs, that come out 

 of the rocky mountains near Rothbury, and other 

 places in Northumberland ; whose water will 

 smoke and feel warm for a considerable way down 

 the hills : I have wondered how they could get 

 up so high, having perhaps six or ten leaps of 

 about a yard high, to surmount; but in rainy 

 weather, the water above joining with the springs, 

 makes #reat floods, that will continue two or 

 .three days ; and in May, June and July, 1 have 

 seen every little hole that had scarce three or four 



