AND ANGLING SONGS. 41 



opined, for spawning purposes. Among salmon, preparatory to 

 pairing, such congregatings are by no means unusual, and are 

 accompanied at times, on a limited scale, with similar demon- 

 strations. What appears, however, to be a multitudinous surface- 

 movement, so to express it, may be caused by the evolutions of 

 a very small body of fish, the eye is so apt to be deceived 

 under such circumstances. 



Monday, Id Sept. Intended to have fished the Hope, along 

 with Captain Horsburgh ; but the rain coming down in torrents, 

 and being unwilling to lose time, I pressed forward, instead, to 

 Betty hill. Found the Naver highly flooded, and could only 

 succeed in taking a couple of small sea-trout. Salmon-fishing 

 being out of the question, I proceeded next day, by mail, towards 

 Melvich. Alighting at the banks of the Strathy river, I gave it, 

 Loch Balligall, and other small lochs, a cursory trial. The day, 

 however, being calm and sunny, my success was not great. On 

 Wednesday I fished the Hallodale river, and was fortunate 

 enough to capture two nice grilses out of five or six which rose 

 at my fly. The river was quite out of order, and the day 

 characterized by intense heat, and the presence of white dazzling 

 clouds, which, every angler knows, are inimical to sport. My 

 lure was a small dun-wing, esteemed a favourite fly in this 

 quarter, as it is in many parts of Scotland, especially on the 

 rivers connected with the Solway Firth. 



From Melvich I proceeded to Thurso, and thence to Wick. 

 While in Caithness, I fished several of its smaller streams ; I 

 also spent a day on Loch Watten, along with two gentlemen, 

 connected officially with the district, who kept a boat upon the 

 loch. We were fortunate enough to capture among us several 

 dozens of fine trout, some of which were peculiarly marked, and 

 much resembled fresh-run sea-trout, a species which for many 

 years has been debarred, along with salmon, entrance into this 

 fine expanse of water. 



