126 AN ANGLER'S RAMBLES 



been reduced to one or two doubtful patterns ; the favourite one, 

 a green- bodied dun-wing, having been so sorely mauled in the 

 evening's tussle as to prove unfit for further service. 



A visit to the inn poultry-yard helped to put us in possession, 

 fortunately, of feathers, hackles included, which, although of a 

 coarse description, approximated in point of colour to what was 

 desired ; and with a twitch or two of green worsted abstracted 

 from the parlour crumbcloth, we contrived to make up half a 

 dozen as deadly persuaders as ever issued from the fingers of an 

 Evatt or a Blacker ; at least so, next day, notwithstanding their 

 somewhat unartistic appearance, they proved to be. We were 

 favoured, on the occasion of using them, with a fine breeze ; 

 the river also was in good trim ; circumstances which assisted, 

 no doubt, to put us in conceit of our workmanship. 



The result on the 10th was in keeping with the highest expec- 

 tations of sport we had been led to form in regard to this river 

 as the resort of sea-trout. My friend Wilson, however, met with 

 by far the larger share of success a result owing partly to his 

 superior skill, and partly to the fact of his strictly confining him- 

 self to that particular range of water which, in all salmon rivers, 

 may be set down as the habitat of the sea-trout when in good 

 condition. In my then ignorance of the whereabouts of these 

 fish, I pressed my investigations too far up, and although at the 

 close of the day my creel showed fair, it was not to be put into 

 competition with that of my "friend, the weight of which, in sea- 

 trout, might probably, judging from recollection, exceed two 

 stone. I fished the Lochy once more, but, owing to its being 

 under the influence of a drought, with indifferent success, on the 

 6th of August 1835. The reports received from it since lead 

 me to believe that, in its connexion with the Spean, it is an 

 admirable salmon stream, but, somewhat precarious, as far as 

 angling is concerned. As to its sea-trout and tinnocks, there 

 are not above two or three rivers in Scotland that can compete 



