112 THE WONDERFUL TROUT 



series of reservoirs or lochs at the head 

 waters. Where a c medium ' stage of water 

 can run longest, becoming ' amber ' and even 

 ' clear/ and keep such ' medium ' or first 

 stages of ' low ' levels for the greatest time, 

 these rivers are the most reliable for sport 

 and a good average size of trout. (We do 

 not bring in here any direct reference to 

 artificial spates, or dams sluiced to bring up 

 the migratory salmonidoe. That appears 

 to us to be a totally different matter.) 



Now, talking of the averages of killable 

 trout, we have always considered that as 

 much pure enjoyment can be got out of 

 some mountain burn or rocky stream, where 

 the average is known to be, say, a quarter- 

 pound, or even where the average is known 

 rarely to exceed six to the pound, and where 

 an angler can make a trim little basket of 

 ten or twelve pounds by careful and scientific 

 angling with fly or worm. We are our- 

 selves perfectly happy happier, indeed, with 

 smaller fish, than when, upon lower, more 

 sluggish reaches, it may be, of the same river, 

 hours are spent over the obtaining of a rise, 

 except during the short ' time of the take, 



