AND ANGLING SONGS. 12$ 



through which it passes, a trial with trout-flies. As a salmon 

 and sea-trout stream, the Coe or Cona has some repute, but is 

 dependent, like most of the Argyllshire waters, the Awe and 

 Eachaig excepted, upon timeous rains. In respect to yellow 

 trout it has little or no claim on the angler's attention, having a 

 rocky channel bare of sustenance. 



While at Ballachulish, in a small rivulet which runs through 

 the policy grounds, I caught several trout, which it struck me 

 were more invitingly shaped and marked than the produce of 

 our mountain- streams in general, and betokened some pecu- 

 liarity of feeding, possibly in connexion with limestone -rock. 



On Monday, 9th July, we proceeded to Fort- William. The 

 salmon -fishings of the Lochy were at that time prosecuted with 

 net and coble, and in the hands of a tacksman, from whom we 

 readily obtained permission to take a cast for sea-trout, and, in 

 the course of the afternoon, were knee-deep, with our rods in 

 full swing among the fine amber- coloured streams close to Inver- 

 lochy Castle. On the approach of dusk the white trout rose 

 freely, and we had the satisfaction, before leaving off, of landing 

 several newly-run specimens of about two pounds in weight, 

 along with a few finnocks and yellow trout. At that period of 

 our angling career we were not prepared for an encounter with 

 large fish. As pedestrians, we were armed merely with light 

 tr outing- rods, and tackle to correspond. On our return to the 

 inn at night, therefore, we had disasters as well as successes to 

 talk over a snapped top-piece, and more than one broken line 

 and abstracted fly. The top-piece, fortunately, was easily re- 

 paired, but our mutual fly-stock, on examination, betrayed a 

 great deficiency of whitling-hooks ; nor, in order to supply this 

 want, had we provided ourselves with dressing materials to a 

 suitable extent. It was necessary, however, that we should 

 remedy the omission, as our actual provision for the morrow's 

 sport, in the shape of fly-hooks of the above description, had 



