2o8 Craigmillar and its Environs. 



At the base of Arthur's Seat is Duddingston 

 Loch, which, when frozen over, is largely taken 

 advantage of by skaters. The dimensions of this 

 lake have been curtailed through silting-up and the 

 deepening of the outlet. It is supplied with water 

 by springs from Arthur's Seat, and by a small stream 

 from the west, which takes its rise in the "Wells o' 

 Wearie," celebrated in song. It is certainly to be 

 regretted that in these days of modern civilisation 

 this beautiful sheet of water should be a receptacle 

 for filthy sewage, so that fish life, with the exception 

 of pike, perch, and eels, is thereby rendered impossible. 

 Nowadays, when the memories of successive Lord 

 Provosts are perpetuated by the acquisition of public 

 parks, golf courses, and resorts for equestrian exercise 

 for the citizens of Edinburgh, it is surprising that no 

 one has suggested to clean out the loch, to divert 

 the Pow or Braid burn into it, and to stock it with 

 Loch Leven trout. From the number of disciples 

 of Izaak Walton that may be seen on a summer 

 evening, some of them standing to the knees in 

 the mud, fishing for perch, it is safe to say that the 



