RIVERS. 3 



sea in Argyllshire. A small loch or lake is its proper 

 source, called thereabouts, in the Gaelic tongue, Tre- 

 achten. After issuing from this, it proceeds with con- 

 siderable rapidity over shelving masses of rock, itself 

 pellucid as diamond, and formed in many places into the 

 most enticing pools, which one would naturally imagine 

 were the resort of large and well-fed fish ; on the con- 

 trary, however, a few tiny individuals are all that in- 

 habit them. We could mention many streams of like 

 character, the contents of which are precisely similar. 

 It is, however, worthy of remark, that salmon, grilses, 

 white and sea trout, ascend such waters in great num- 

 bers, preferring them even to better provided but more 

 sluggish courses ; which shows that their sole object is 

 to spawn with advantage, not to alter their mode of 

 living. 



A second reason why trout of considerable size are 

 not met with in rocky rivers, is, that among them there 

 are seldom any direct places of shelter. Weeds, nicely- 

 disposed stones, and shallow banks, are wanting, from 

 which they might watch their prey, elude human ob- 

 servation, and be protected both during the frosts of 

 winter and the floods of autumn and spring. A rocky 

 channel is thus proved prejudicial to the growth and 

 increase of trout, and we shall now observe what ef- 

 fect a slow muddy bottom produces where food and 

 cover are found in great plenty. Of this nature are 

 most English rivers, excepting those in the northern 

 counties and most mountainous districts. Fish (we 

 speak of river trout) spawn seldom in such waters ; 

 nay, they grow so fat and lazy as to be unable to re- 

 move for this purpose ; besides, the shallows are few 

 among which they may suitably lie during the unclean 

 season. These matters, however, are of small conse- 

 quence, for it is marvellous to observe how the roe of 



