THE CHAR. 265 



on missing the fly, unless injured, will return to 

 the hook. In Strathglass there is a Loch Bruiach, 

 where char are caught of a much larger size, but 

 chiefly with the net, except in the month of 

 October, when, as our informant, the Rev. Mr. 

 Chisholm, told us, they may be taken in the shal- 

 lows with the rod, but at no other season."* 



On dissecting the char which we killed in Suther- 

 land (by net) in June, we found the stomach of 

 the majority empty, but the lower part of the in- 

 testine filled with a green vegetable residuum. 

 This we ascertained to be the remains of the cases 

 of aquatic larvae (Phryganidce), a few of which we 

 afterwards discovered in a half digested state in 

 the upper portion of the intestinal canal. Where 

 this natural bait occurs we have always found the 

 fly formerly described under the name of " green 

 mantle" to be a killing lure, yet we tried it un- 

 availingly, though perseveringly, in the northern 

 Loch in question, Loch Borley, near Keoldale, 

 Durness. It may be mentioned as a singular fact, 

 that although well stocked with char, it is believed 

 not to contain a single trout. A curious coinci- 

 dence with Loch Achilty may also be noted re- 

 garding it, to wit, that its waters escape by a 

 subterranean communication with another loch, of 

 which we at present forget the name, but which 

 contains fine fresh water trout, some of them so 

 light and silvery as to exhibit much of the aspect 

 of sea-trout. There is another loch near these 

 two, which contains neither trout nor char, and as 



* From the MS. of T. T. Stoddart, Esq. 



