LEAVES FROM A GAME BOOK. 125 



all anglers must start, a hearty welcome was given us 

 by a white-haired old Scotchman, who told us all the 

 other boats were away long since. Then conducting 

 us to a lengthy wooden building, he booked our names 

 and the time of our start ; and that ceremony ended, he 

 proceeded to enquire if we were in want of tackle or 

 flies, and directing our attention to the walls of the 

 room, there we saw hanging from nails many rows of 

 casting lines, each ready mounted with four flies, for 

 on Loch Leven it is the rule to use that number. 

 As most of these casts contained one or two of the 

 favourite flies for the loch, such as the " Zulu " and 

 the "Hecham Pecham," we purchased plentifully, as 

 the gut appeared good and cheap. Then we went to 

 our boat, and to our astonishment we saw Loch Leven 

 was anything but the small sheet of water of our 

 imagination. Why we had pictured it as insignificant, 

 goodness only knows, but we had so, and were agree- 

 ably disappointed at viewing a fine big piece of water, 

 which we learnt from the guide books covered more 

 than three thousand acres. As for the crowd of fishers, 



