FOOD-SUPPLIES AND RELEVANT MATTERS 111 



or group of rivers, under their own climatal 

 conditions and temperatures and seasons, and 

 other physical and natural conditions of late 

 and early rivers. (We purpose returning to 

 the subject of close-times; poaching, and 

 illegal fishing later on.) 



Sheep drains and general drainage of 

 river slopes. This is perhaps a fruitful 

 cause of deterioration in size of trout, and 

 in diminution of numbers, and Stewart 

 speaks at length regarding it, and is most 

 accurate in his remarks (pp. 23, 24), and we 

 do not deem it necessary to dilate upon the 

 subject, as such would, for the most part, be 

 ' harping on a very old tune,' except to say 

 that such rivers as are less subjected to this 

 artificial drainage are usually found other 

 advantages being included to be the best 

 trout streams. A river, for instance, that is 

 dependent upon deep-set and innumerable 

 springs, and which is not dependent upon 

 flood-water only for its bulk and flow, will 

 maintain an even flow and a better standard 

 as a trouting river than one which is sub- 

 jected to continuous spates of surface wash- 

 ings, and even than one which has large 



