42 FLY-FISHING. 



run itself out in the course of four-and-twenty hours, 

 unless continually replenished by rain. In conse- 

 quence of this, there is very little fishing in those parts 

 after May ; and the rivers from that time for several 

 months are little better than brooks or small streams, 

 unless the summer should happen to be a wet one. 



The beds of the Welch rivers generally consist of 

 hard rock, and in some places they are smooth as a 

 paved street, in others, they are composed of large 

 fragments of rock, or round stones and pebbles, but 

 there is no small gravel ; so that the trout, in order to 

 find] ground better suited for depositing their spawn, 

 go up the small brooks and mountain streams for 

 that purpose, where they are sure to be immedi- 

 ately taken by poachers, who destroy the whole of 

 them by lime. 



In all trout rivers great attention ought to be paid 

 to those spots which are likely to become spawning- 

 beds ; and should there be no places in a river, from 

 the want of fine gravel, fit for trout to deposit then- 

 spawn in, this deficiency ought to be remedied by ar- 

 tificial means, and loads of gravel deposited in proper 

 spots. By attention to this, I have seen rivers which 



