6 TROUT FISHING 



Zealand, which grow to a weight of thirty pounds or 

 so, have the reputation of being dangerous to human 

 beings, seizing them by the foot as they swim, 

 drowning them, and, later, devouring them piece- 

 meal. 



The trouble with the eel, so far as trout preserva- 

 tion is concerned, is that you may never know he is 

 there at all. A friend of mine stocked a pool with 

 yearling rainbows. They disappeared, and the 

 misfortune was not unnaturally attributed to the 

 habit of the race, which is to disappear. But it 

 seemed odd that they should have answered to the 

 call of the blood so young — as a rule they tolerate 

 existence in an inclosed water till they have attained 

 their fourth year. And, doubtless, they would have 

 done so in this case also, but when the water was 

 drained off on the chance of another solution, a 

 colony of three-pound eels was discovered, and it 

 was evident where the little rainbows had gone to. 

 In a river or a big lake the presence of eels may not 

 be so much of a danger, but it is obvious that a 

 small pool may be quite unfit habitation for trout 

 until steps have been taken to eradicate the eels. 

 How this is to be done depends on circumstances. 

 If the water can be run off easily the eels can be 

 got out wholesale. If not, night-lines and eel 

 traps may gradually thin their numbers. Of course, 

 the draining of the pond would be best, because it 



