CHARACTER OF A BORDER LAKE. 121 



do in the way of fishing is by trolling, re- 

 peating our practice in Wastwater. 



AMICUS. Judging from the appearance of 

 the lake, I infer it is about the size of Wast- 

 water ; and judging from the height of the 

 enclosing hills, in parts it must be almost as 

 deep. 



PISCATOR. You are not far from the mark. 

 It is about three miles long ; about one mile 

 wide where widest, and about half a mile 

 where narrowest ; where deepest, it is said to 

 be twenty-five fathoms. Its freezing is a rare 

 occurrence ; last winter, that of 1854-5, the 

 greatest part of it, the boatman says, was frozen 

 over. 



AMICUS. How much of its beauty it owes 

 to its irregularity of form, these ins and outs 

 of its shores, and their varied aspect, wooded 

 and naked, wild and cultivated, meadow land 

 and rock ; truly in its character a border-lake ! 



PISCATOR. We are nearing the head of the 

 lake : it is time to wind up. The fish are no 

 in a feeding mood ; we have not had a single 

 run. Observe the bottom, how it is formed 

 of shingle. Here, I am told, a good many 

 charr are known to spawn. 





