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the streams. The still sheets of water are never 

 without a large portion of trout, whatever may be 

 their condition whether turbid or clear shallow or 

 flooded. Now, in angling the Yarrow, we have sun- 

 dry times noticed, that there is not one single piece of 

 still water that trout would take shelter in for any 

 length of time ; all is tumbling, broken, shapeless 

 streams. Tor, to an angler's eye, it is requisite that 

 a stream ever should have a certain shape a con- 

 tour a physiognomy a character to solicit his 

 attention and favour. Every disciple of the rod 

 carries about with him an ideal figure of a perfect 

 stream, where, in all rivers under every parallel of 

 latitude and longitude he is morally certain to find 

 the object of which he is in quest. This beau ideal 

 of watery conformations is not a variable or uncer- 

 tain thing ; it has in every one's eye the same gene- 

 ral outline and expression. "We know that what is 

 at this moment prefigured to our imaginations as the 

 height of perfection, is the same as that which 

 occupies the mind of every other angler in the king- 

 dom, who is entitled to the appellation. A fine 

 fishing stream has all the standard elements of per- 

 manent beauty that appertain to the beautiful in 

 every branch of art or science whatever. 



But we must take the Yarrow as we find it, and, 

 with all its drawbacks, it is an interesting stream to 

 throw a line in. The distance from its junction 

 with the Ettrick to St, Mary's Loch is about fifteen 

 miles, and the public road runs close to its banks for 

 the entire route. They are generally lofty, and the 



