18 THE FRESH-WATER TROUT. 



tion in the shape of streams or feeders, which afford 

 great facility for spawning. Under such circumstances, 

 the stock, instead of attaining to great size, become 

 numerous, as is the case in many of our lochs, where 

 the feeding-grounds are both extensive and of good 

 quality. The introduction of pike into such lochs aids, 

 no doubt, in improving the dimensions and quality of 

 the trout, but has not always this effect. 



For instance, St. Mary's Loch, in Selkirkshire, con- 

 tains pike and perch in considerable abundance, and 

 yet the trout continue comparatively numerous, and 

 are not distinguished on account of their size, seldom 

 exceeding a pound in weight, and averaging little 

 more than half-a-pound. The breeding waters, consist- 

 ing of Meggat, Yarrow, and five or six hill burns which 

 help to people the lake in question, are, in this instance, 

 quite sufficient to keep up the supply, notwithstanding 

 the ravages presumed to be committed by the fresh- 

 water tyrant, which fish, I may mention, infests only 

 the weedy portions of the loch, and is not found equally 

 distributed, as is the case in Loch Leven, and many of 

 our Highland sheets of water, around the margin. 

 Were it so, were every point of access to the shallows 

 held in keeping by pike, most assuredly the trout would 

 decrease in number ; and should a fair proportion of 

 their feeding-grounds remain at the same time acces- 

 sible to them, they, as certainly, would increase in 

 respect to size. We have illustrations of the fact 

 afforded us by what has been noticed in a number of 

 our Highland lochs : for instance, in Loch Tummel, in 

 Perthshire ; in Loch Vennachar, near Callander ; also in 

 Lochs Garve, Achnanault, and Ledgowan, in Koss- 

 shire. In all these expanses of water, the pike are nu- 

 merous and pretty equally distributed along the margin, 



