THE HERTFORDSHIRE STREAMS 71 



point is its scenery anything save charming ; and at 

 Panshanger, Lord Cowper's seat, the oaks arc 

 worth a day's journey to see. In the park there is 

 one tree surpassing perhaps anything in Brocket, 

 and as celebrated as Queen I^^Hzabeth's tree in 

 Hatfield. It is called the Panshanger oak, and 

 has been described by Strutt, Loudon, and other 

 leading writers on forestry. The whole of the 

 Mimram is strictl}^ preserved through its course of 

 fourteen miles or so. Above \Velw)'n the average 

 weight of the trout killed is about a pound, but at 

 several points below the fish run considerabh' 

 heavier than this. The troutin<7 in Tewin and 

 Panshanger Park is particularly good. In the 

 upper parts of the stream the trout rise well at the 

 artificial fly throughout the season, provided there 

 is sufficient water. There is a May-fly season, 

 which usually commences at the end of May, but 

 the insect is never so numerous on the Mimram 

 as on the Lea. There are fair hatches of olive 

 or blue duns, and occasionally of yellow duns ; 

 and the chalk stream patterns may be used for 

 dry fly fishing. In the lower reaches of the 

 Mimram the trout do not rise so freely at the 

 small fly as they do higher up. The stream, 

 like the Lea, is essentially a " fat " one, full of water 

 shrimps and other similar food on wdiich trout thrive 

 greatly. High up towards Codicote, where the 

 stream is small and comparatively rapid, there is 

 rarely anything in the nature of a late evening rise, 

 but low^er down, on the other hand, the late evening 

 is commonly the best time in the summer. The 

 Mimram is a clear and pure stream. The angler 

 finds his headquarters at Hertford or Welwyn. 

 At the latter there is a capital inn, the Wcllingtrn 



