156 LAKES OF MONTGOMERYSHIRE. 



has the appearance of being much deformed : he 

 has a small head, and is very brilliantly marked. 

 Until about twenty years ago, Llyn Bugail was en- 

 tirely without fish.* Two gentlemen, one of whom 

 was the late Captain Jones, R.N., grousing on 

 Plinlimmon, the conversation turned upon the pe- 

 culiarity of this lake being entirely destitute of the 

 finny race, and the possibility of stocking it from a 

 neighbouring rivulet. A staff net was procured, 

 and some dozens of small trout, caught in the river 

 Rheidol, were turned into the lake, which at that 

 time swarmed with millions of horse leeches. Some 

 of the trout, when placed in the pool, lay upon their 

 sides, faint and exhausted. Strange as it may ap- 

 pear, the rapacious leeches attached themselves 

 to the sick fish, and actually devoured them ; 

 others of the trout were more vigorous ; these 

 and their progeny have enforced the lex talionis 

 with a vengeance, and not a leech is now to be 

 seen ! 



LLYN Y GRINWYDDEN, or the " pool of the wi- 

 thered tree," situated on a rocky hill, and said to 

 be of unfathomable depth. It is about seventy 

 yards in length, and contains no fish but eels and 

 carp. 



ground, in the genial month of August : but never again shall 

 he enjoy his love. See ! he turns up a side like a house. 

 Ay, that is, indeed, a most commodious landing-place, and 

 ere he is aware of water too shallow to hide his back fin, will 

 be whallopping upon the yellow sand." 

 * Cambrian Quarterly. 



