THE UPPER RIVER 69 



of the pool they will sometimes take the fly in 

 water not less than twelve or fifteen feet deep. 

 In rivers so clear as this is, fish will rise from a 

 much greater deptli than is usual in less trans- 

 parent waters. 



In this pool we have frequently observed a 

 female goosander (Merits Merganser) with her 

 brood. It is a pretty sight to see her take 

 her young ones on her back, and swim across 

 the river. These birds are said to be very 

 destructive of small fish ; their gullet is very 

 capacious, and they have an extraordinary power 

 of digestion. 



A couple of hundred yards above Os Pool 

 is a small wooded island, the main stream run- 

 ning on the north side and forming a decep- 

 tively beautiful pool. It is said that when the 

 salmon first came up into the river, after the 

 building of the ladder, many were killed here. 

 Now, although the pool looks most inviting, 

 they seem to have taken a dislike to it, and 

 we have risen very few there. Probably the 

 bottom has become too smooth, and a few big 

 rocks dropped into the pool might restore its 

 former fame. This shifting of pools, due to the 

 breaking up of the ice and the wearing effect 



