A CAT FISH. 105 



" The Tay trout," says John Crerar (I quote from 

 his MS.), " lives in that river all the year round. It is 

 a large and yellow fish, with a great mouth, and feeds 

 chiefly on salmon spawn, moles, mice, frogs, &c. A 

 curious circumstance once happened to me at Pulney 

 Loch. One of my sons threw a live mouse into it, when 

 a large trout took the mouse down immediately. The 

 boy told me what had happened ; so I took my fishing- 

 rod, which was leaning against my house close to the 

 loch, and put a fly on. At the very first throw I hooked 

 a large trout, landed it, and laid it on the walk : in two 

 seconds the mouse ran out of its mouth, and got into a 

 hole in the wall before I could catch it." Thus far 

 John Crerar. 



" The mouse that is content with one poor hole 

 Can never be a mouse of any soul." 



I believe every author on the subject, from the time 

 of dear Isaak Walton to the present day, has taken 

 some pains to vindicate the amusement of angling. 

 For this purpose they have quoted men eminent for 

 humanity, illustrious for science, and famed for high 

 achievement — philosophers, warriors, divines, — who 

 have been dear lovers of the sport.* But does it re- 

 quire this vindication ? For myself, far from being 

 surprised that distinguished men have delighted in 

 fishing, I only wonder that any man can be illustrious 



* When Sir Humphrey Davy was at Gisburn, the late Lord 

 Ribblesdale took him to see the celebrated Gorsdale Rocks, expecting 

 they would astonish and interest him, and call forth some very 

 learned remarks ; but the great philosopher noticed only the stream 

 beneath them, which he scrutinised minutely, saying he was sure 

 there were no fish in it, or he should have discovered them. 



