134 THE WONDERFUL TROUT 



clear and never crystal. One day only, the 

 17th May, I am inclined to look upon as a 

 truly lost day. We find it thus described in 

 our Eegister : ' Probably would have proved 

 a record day, as, although there was a little 

 frost in the morning, it got warmer after 

 midday first time this year but alas ! both 

 anglers were out of sorts. We saw what we 

 did not see before or since this season, trout 

 rising fast and feeding after 1.30 P.M. Un- 

 doubtedly this was a lost day. In the 

 morning water was 47 and remained so, and 

 air had improved from 45 to 50 by 12 

 o'clock/ After this date, 17th May, trout 

 seemed to go down utterly. 



Now we find that we had noted on the llth 

 April that trout were in * good condition and 

 quite good on the table/ and 'much for- 

 warder than in 1897' (which was one of our 



best years on Deveron). Sheriff W 



also, who was fishing Dunlugas water, wrote 

 us that they were in good order, in 'really 

 wonderful order ' at that time ; and he is not 

 one likely to be led astray in such compari- 

 sons. But it was after this they began to 

 show marked deterioration. 



