74 SOUTH COUNTRY TROUT STREAMS 



The Ouin is received by the Rib at Hammels 

 Park. It runs a ten-mile course, rising in the 



The nortli-east corner of the county, and flow- 



Quin ing in a south-east direction through Great 

 and Little Hormead. The Ouin resembles the 

 Rib in regard to the character of the countr}' it 

 passes through. It has fewer coarse fish than the 

 Rib, and the average weight of its trout is perhaps 

 a little below that of the larger stream. The fish 

 do not often turn the scale at i J lbs., and they are 

 less numerous than they were. There are no angling 

 clubs on this little stream, and it is difficult — as it is 

 in the case of the Rib — to obtain leave. Braughing 

 is a centre for the trout angler who has leave on 

 either stream or on both. The May fly comes 

 on at the same time as on the Rib, and the 

 same flics do for both streams. Above Braughing 

 the Quin, like various other streams, goes under- 

 ground in dry weather, and sometimes fish going 

 up in a flood get stranded. I am afraid at Hor- 

 mead a rake is deemed under these circumstances 

 the best angling implement ! The head waters of 

 the Lea, the upper Mimram and the Beane, all 

 suffer severely from droughts from time to time, 

 and it is found necessary to make small wooden 

 dams to hold up the water. Last year (1897) 

 there was, however, abundance of water in most of 

 our south country trout streams — more than enough 

 to last the entire angling season. 



The Ash or Ashe is the last tributary of the Lea 



with which it is necessary to deal. This stream, 



which is just about the length of the Ouin, 



rises at Furneaux Pelham and, flowing 



through lladham Cross and Widford, joins the 



Lea at St. Margarets. The upper part of the 



