

ULLSWATER 91 



shore, where the water is deep, in the month of May. It is 

 frequently drawn up by nets along with the weeds, by which 

 means myriads are destroyed. Some of these fishes will 

 \veigh 5 Ibs." 



The gwyniad (locally skelly) occurs in Ulls- 

 water, but is much less numerous than formerly, 

 Its existence in this lake is mentioned as far back 

 as 1686, and under the name of "skelly" Clarke 

 mentions it in his Survey. The skellies spawn in 

 the winter among the mud at the bottom of the 

 lake, he states, and proceeds : " The Skelly is re- 

 markable for this, no bait has ever been found 

 which they will take." As a comment on this, the 

 writer once took a "skelly" on a fly whilst fish- 

 ing for trout in Haweswater ; but this, of course, 

 was exceptional, and Clarke's statement, although 

 a century old, is probably substantially true. 



He proceeds : 



"They seem to be a species of freshwater herrings ; as 

 they resemble the sea herring both in size and shape. Like 

 the herring, they assemble in vast numbers during the har- 

 vest months, rippling the surface of the water, and are 

 called " Schools," or (in the country dialect) Skeguls or 

 Skellies. When they lie in water not too deep, vast num- 

 bers are taken at one draught, sometimes ten or twelve 

 thousands. Sometimes the schools lie so near together, 

 and the fishermen take such numbers, that carts are em- 

 ployed to carry them to the adjacent market towns. They 

 weigh about five ounces each, and 800 are commonly 

 reckoned as many as one horse can draw. They are at these 

 times extremely cheap, generally a penny a pound, but I have 

 seen two Winchester pecks of them sold for a shilling." 



As already stated the gwyniad, or freshwater 

 herring, is a fast vanishing species in Ullswater, 

 although why this is so is difficult to determine. 

 The causes which have almost exterminated the 

 char, and reduced the number of trout, may be at 



