428 THE RIVERS OF THE SOL WAY FIRTH. 



applaud the feat, and the good-natured reader will 

 excuse my vanity." 



The bull-trout is common on the Dee, where it attains 

 the weight sometimes of twenty pounds. 



The KEN takes its rise in the northern part of the 

 Stewarty, and joins the Deugh on entering Kells parish. 

 Several miles further down, below New Galloway, it 

 expands into a lake upwards of five miles in length, and 

 from one-half to three-quarters of a mile in breadth. 

 In this sheet of water the largest pike known to have 

 been killed in Scotland was captured, with rod and fly, 

 by John Murray, gamekeeper to the grandfather of the 

 present Viscount Kenmure. The head of this fish, 

 which weighed seventy-two pounds, may still be seen in 

 Kenmure Castle, and contrasted with one of more com- 

 mon, but still large dimensions, which is placed near it, 

 bears striking evidence as to the prodigiousness of the 

 monster it belonged to. Near Loch Ken, in the parishes 

 of Balmaghie and Cross-michael, are several lochs, Gran- 

 noch, Dornal, Lochinbreck, Glentoo, Roan, &c. All 

 these, with the exception of Lochinbreck, which abounds 

 in trout, produce pike and perch. In the parish of 

 Girthon there is another loch of the name of Grannoch 

 or Greanoch, which contains charr in abundance. These, 

 it appears, are only to be taken with the net, and in the 

 spawning season when they frequent the shallows. The 

 lochs of Bamaclellan, several of which are connected by 

 small runs with the Ken and Loch Ken, are in good 

 repute among anglers. The one producing the largest 

 and finest trout is Loch Brack, where, in 1840, two 

 were caught, weighing respectively five and seven 

 pounds. Besides it, Barscobe, Loch Skae, and Houie, 

 deserve to be mentioned. Bull-trout ascend the Garple 

 burn in the spawning season. 



