THE CHAR CHAR FISHING 213 



But little has been done towards replenishing 

 the stock of char. About thirty years ago, however, 

 a small private hatchery for the artificial propaga- 

 tion of salmon, trout and char was started at 

 Wansfell, on the banks of Windermere, and here 

 as many as 180,000 char fry were hatched in the 

 boxes in a season and turned into the lake. This 

 experiment was continued for five years, and, so 

 far as char were concerned, was a success. As to 

 salmon, however, the experiment proved a com- 

 parative failure. 



That char can be reared and kept in confine- 

 ment is often demonstrated now-a-days by pisci- 

 culturists ; but their knowledge was forestalled 

 by the host of mine inn at Waterhead, Coniston, 

 more than sixty years ago, as witness the follow- 

 ing : 



" When at the inn at Waterhead at the northern extremity 

 of Coniston Water, during a tour to the English Lakes in 

 June, 1835, a number of char from this lake were kept alive 

 by our host in a capacious wooden box or trough, into which 

 a constant stream of water poured. They were fine examples 

 of the species, about a foot in length. Here I was informed 

 that a supply of this delicate fish was always kept up, that 

 the 'curious ' visitor might gratify his taste at any season by 

 having fresh char set before him at the rate of ten shillings 

 for the dozen of fish." 



The following note, which I find among my 

 papers, shows that by permission of the Fishery 

 Board (Kent) char are occasionally transplanted 

 from one lake to another. This is done with 

 the object of infusing new blood, and so increasing 

 the size of the fish or increasing the stock. The 

 Windermere char are much larger than those found 

 in Coniston. 



