28 SOUTH COUNTRY TROUT STREAMS 



Stocking with common trout and the Loch Leven 

 variety was carried on almost at once on an ex- 

 tensive scale, the Club putting in about 400 fish 

 exceeding two years in age, 800 " two-year-olds," 

 close on 6,000 yearlings, together with 45,000 fry 

 of Sain 10 far to and ova and eyed ova. Over a 

 thousand grayling, composed partly of yearlings 

 and partly of sizable fish, and 35,000 grayling ova 

 were also introduced. Whether the introduction 

 of the grayling was wise may be a moot question. 

 In some rivers they are far too numerous to suit 

 the trout fisherman. A good many of us are 

 not greatly devoted to the fish, which cannot be 

 regarded as the equal of the trout ; but, all the 

 same, it must be conceded that there are riv^ers 

 in the south, notably the Test and Itchen, where 

 grayling fishing is, during the autumn and winter 

 months, a highly popular pastime among some 

 of the best and keenest trout fishermen. In any 

 case I rather question whether a great percentage 

 of those 35,000 ova reached maturity in such a 

 stream ; they were probably found very good 

 eating by their elders. Not every Club can stock 

 its waters on this scale, but most can do a little 

 from time to time, and a few hundred good year- 

 lings in a mile or so of water free of pike will 

 soon yield sport. 



A good many attempts have been made within 

 the last few years to acclimatise Salmo fontijialis, 

 the American brook trout, or, more correctly, char, 

 in our southern streams, but with no success, so 

 far as I have heard. The fish mysteriously dis- 

 appears, nobody knows for certain where, though 

 the presumption is it goes down to the sea. Our 

 streams, possibly by reason of their temperature, 



